Meck. County Non-Profits by Thoughtbox

Appendix – Mecklenburg County Non-Profits – Sub-sorted Community Character & Culture Theater, Film, & Dance 

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Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte (ATC), Charlotte o Mission Statement: To connect with people through the presentation of bold and innovative new works by contemporary playwrights who share our respect for language and humanity. o As Charlotte’s most award-winning professional theatre group, we work hard to bring you the finest in live entertainment, all without the high cost normally associated with quality theatre. CAST (Carolina Actors Studio Theatre), Charlotte o CAST is noted for large-scale installations and elaborate sets with the goal of complete immersion of the audience in the reality of each play. CAST always seeks to obliterate the emotional distance between the actor and spectator, a technique they call "experiential theatre". When attending a CAST performance, the experience of the spectator begins from the moment they enter—or even approach—the theater Charlotte Jewish Film Festival, Charlotte o Our Mission: To illuminate the Jewish experience through film - including history, language, people, and the land of Israel, and to welcome all who strive for a better understanding of themselves and others. Charlotte Shakespeare (formerly Collaborative Arts Theatre), Charlotte o Slogan: “The Bard and Beyond” o We are a professional, non-profit theatre company that produces accessible, intimate, and entertaining performances of both traditional and modern classics. o Charlotte Shakespeare Festival Children's Theatre of Charlotte, Charlotte o CTC Mission Statement: We create exceptional theatre experiences, inspiring generations to explore the wonder of their world. o CTC Vision Statement: Transforming the way people experience children’s theatre. At Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, individual theatre events become inspiring and all-encompassing interactions. o Programs, Services, & Outreach:  Outreach Classes  Summer Camp  Summer Camp Scholarships  Workshops  In-School Programs  School of Theatre Training  Creative Drama Davidson Community Players, Davidson o Mission: Established in 1965, Davidson Community Players is a non-profit organization that encourages community participation in live theatre that engages, entertains, enriches and educates. o Vision: Davidson Community Players’ vision is to be the region’s premiere community theatre; expanding its performance season to include both year-round adult theatre productions and on-going children's programming, including workshops and performances, as part of our youth division, the Connie Company. o Classes, Camps, and Workshops NC Dance Theatre (NCDT), Charlotte o Slogan: “Performing, Inspiring, Educating”

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Mission: Offer the highest quality dance instruction in ballet, modern and jazz technique to students of all ages and levels of ability. o Education Mission Statement: NCDT’s Education program engages students, teachers and the community-at-large in a range of artistic activities that allow them to learn about dance as an art form. o Outreach Mission Statement: NCDT through innovative programs, dynamic performances and collaborative partnerships makes dance accessible to all communities. o Programs:  School of Dance  NCDT REACH! – The program affords children the opportunity to access quality dance training in their neighborhoods, free of charge, promoting self-esteem, discipline, a strong work ethic and an appreciation for the arts.  Summer Dance Camps/Workshops  Senior Adult Programs – Seniors can view a full dress rehearsal; Community Workshops  Dance For Parkinson’s Disease (PD) Classes – Dance class for people with PD  After School Dance Program  Dance-A-Story Program – The program will travel to pre-schools and elementary school to perform a story through dance.  Behind-The-Scenes Tours – Tours may be available in the weeks leading up to each of Dance Theatre’s performances  Educational Performances – Theatre Performances & Lecture Demonstrations  School Dance Residencies – North Carolina Dance Theatre’s Teaching Artists will spend a day, a week, or months at your school in a residency program tailored to meet curriculum needs  Dance Educator Enrichment Program (DEEP) Theatre Charlotte, Charlotte o Our Mission: To create outstanding theatre opportunities relevant to the people of the Charlotte region. We fulfill this commitment through our programming and other initiatives. o Student Theatre Guild o TCjr: Youth Theatre Intensive

Music 

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Carolina Pro Musica, Charlotte o Carolina Pro Musica was established in 1977 to promote the performance of music written before 1800 through the use of historic instruments and/or copies and in the performance practice of the periods in which the music was written. The ensemble has maintained a concert series in the historic 1892 St. Mary's Chapel in Charlotte bringing guest artists to Charlotte as well as performing a variety of music from medieval to present day. Carolina Voices, Charlotte o Slogan: “Your Community of Song” o Mission: Carolina Voices celebrates the human voice and its power to enrich, educate, entertain and unite by producing and performing a wide repertoire of choral music at the highest possible artistic level for a diverse community. o Vision: Carolina Voices shall be a nationally recognized facilitator for uniting voices of diverse communities through choral music and shall be internationally recognized for choral excellence. o During the season, Carolina Voices’ ensembles produce concerts, workshops, educational opportunities, summer youth camps and special events which touch thousands of adults and children in the diverse Charlotte Metrolina area. Charlotte Children’s Choir, Charlotte o Mission: Charlotte Children’s Choir serves the community by providing quality music education with the goal of attaining the highest level of artistic excellence in choral music performance. o Vision: The Charlotte Children’s Choir seeks to inspire, educate and enrich the lives of children from all backgrounds by instilling in them a lifelong love of singing. Charlotte Chorale, Inc., Charlotte

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History of Charlotte Chorale: The Charlotte Chorale, a premier choir in Charlotte is comprised of auditioned and trained singers who wish to enrich local communities by sharing the joy of song. Centered in the heart of Mecklenburg County in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, the Charlotte Chorale enjoys a wide variety of performance venues and has a growing local following in the greater Charlotte area. Charlotte Symphony, Charlotte o The largest and most active professional performing arts organization in the Central Carolinas o Mission: To perform great symphonic music. We aspire to serve our whole community through music that educates, entertains and enriches the human spirit. o Vision: To be recognized as a “best in class” orchestra, reflecting and leading a dynamic and growing region. o Programs:  KnightSounds series  Summer Pops in the Park at Southpark Mall  Sponsor of two Youth Orchestras  Small ensembles perform in hospitals, retirement centers, and nursing homes, bringing the power and joy of live music to those who would otherwise not hear it. Community School of the Arts, Charlotte o The School now concentrates on instruction in music and the visual arts, offering private and group music lessons, visual arts classes and workshops, summer camps, pottery classes and early childhood arts education. And, as it has every year since its founding, Community School of the Arts teaches extensively in low-income neighborhoods and provides significant student financial assistance, honoring its founding mission and the belief that outstanding arts education should be available to all. o Programs:  Music  Art  Summer Camp  Scholarships and Financial Aid  ArtReach and Programs for Schools N.C. Music Educators Association, Charlotte o Mission Statement: Promote music as a fundamental component of education and to provide opportunities for lifelong learning by supporting teachers, students and communities in developing and fostering excellence in music. o Strategic Goals:  NCMEA will be a catalyst for ensuring that every child will receive a comprehensive, sequential music education delivered by exemplary music educators.  Provide professional quality events and opportunities for North Carolina's students and music educators.  Encourage excellence in music education by fostering scholarship and personal growth among members. o NCMEA committees and commissions Opera Carolina o Mission Statement: To inspire and entertain the region’s diverse community through the presentation of excellent opera, operetta, music theatre, education and outreach programs that elevate the quality of life in the Carolinas the most significant activities include the presentation of three main stage operas and a range of educational programs including in-school performances and workshops, student nights at main stage performances and performances in remote communities in NC. (from: GuideStar.org) o Education:  Opera Express – Opera Carolina educational touring company

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Student Night – Chaperoned K-12 students can attend the final dress rehearsal for each opera for free.  Opera Carolina Academy The Symphony Guild of Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “Volunteers Supporting Today’s Symphony and Tomorrow’s Musicians” o Our Mission: The purpose of the Symphony Guild of Charlotte, Inc. is to create, develop and promote an interest in symphonic music in the community of Charlotte and the surrounding metropolitan area and to provide financial and volunteer support to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Society, Incorporated, the Charlotte youth symphonies and symphonic educational activities. o Youth: Programs, Classes, Competitions, Concerts, Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO), etc. Tosco Music Party o A nonprofit corporation that produces quarterly music showcases, comprising both professional and amateur musicians. o It is our mission…  To present a wide variety of acoustic music in a supportive environment  To foster a sense of community among listeners and performers, with a commitment to inclusiveness of participation  To provide a venue in which professional and amateur musicians can meet, network, inspire, share and contribute to the community.

Visual Arts 

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The Light Factory: Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film, Charlotte o The Light Factory's mission is to promote the power of image, in Charlotte and beyond, by informing, challenging, and stimulating audiences through photography, film, and other light-based media to see their world through a different lens. o What is The Light Factory?  The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film is one of only four museums for photography and film in the United States. We have served as a haven for artists to express new ideas through photography and filmmaking, and to support cutting edge art since 1972. o Programs:  Adult Education  Classes & Workshops  Students and Youth  Student Art Exchanges  My Family, Our Stories (ESL – promote literacy through photography)  Special Projects and Partnerships  Light Factory Programs in Schools  JGS Scholarship  Corporate Experiences  Community Projects  Film  Darkroom Community School of the Arts (see Music)

History & Culture 

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encouraged to attend. The CIC is the Charlotte Region's leading resource for promoting international business and international communities. o A Guide to Charlotte’s International Organizations Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission o The Historic Landmarks Commission protects properties in four fundamental ways. (1) First, it recommends the designation of individually significant properties as historic landmarks. (2) Second, it buys and sells endangered historic landmarks through its $9 million dollar revolving fund and places preservation covenants in the deeds when the properties are sold. (3) Third, it administers design review over intended material alterations of historic landmarks. (4) Fourth, it educates the general public about the significance of historic landmarks. Comprehensive Genealogical Services (CGS), Charlotte o Our Mission: CGS is committed to researching, educating and assisting in the documentation of family histories in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. o Our Vision: We strive to build strong families and communities by discovering, preserving, honoring and sharing the cross-cultural heritage of people of African Ancestry. o CGS gives research assistance to any individual, family or ethnic group without regards to race or point of origin within the context of American Genealogy. CGS stresses the importance of AfricanAncestral history and genealogy by encouraging active participation in recording, researching and documenting family histories. International House, Charlotte o Mission: Promote international understanding by serving as a center for diversity, advocating for people of diverse national backgrounds and facilitating professional and cultural exchange programs. o Programs & Services:  Ginter Immigration Law Clinic  Cultural Programs  Language Conversation Hours  International Book Club  Doorways – International Women’s Group  Global Identity Forums  Education  English Tutoring Program (ETP)  Youth English Tutoring Program (YETP)  English Classes  English Conversation Hours  Citizenship Classes  Citizen Diplomacy La Coalicion - Latin American Coalition, Charlotte o Our Mission: La Coalición is a community of Latin Americans, immigrants and allies that promotes full and equal participation of all people in the civic, economic and cultural life of North Carolina through education, celebration and advocacy. o Our Vision: La Coalición envisions a diverse and vibrant North Carolina which embraces, supports and respects people of all cultures and backgrounds. o La Coalición is an immigrant rights organization that is pioneering a model for 21st century democracy building and inclusive community engagement in North Carolina -- a region that has never before experienced such dramatic demographic shifts. We have developed a multifaceted approach to promote justice and equity called Social Service to Social Action, a strategy that traces an intentional path through direct service intervention, integration support, alliance building, institution and systems change – all building toward meaningful culture and policy change. o Programs & Services:  Immigrant Welcome Center  Worker Support Center  Immigration Law Clinic

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 Citizenship  United 4 The Dream (U4TD)  Cultural Events Women's Inter-Cultural Exchange, Charlotte  Slogan: “Women Building Trust Across Race & Culture.”  Mission: The corporation is organized and operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes including, without limitation, building and bridging social capital among women of diverse cultures, fostering cross-cultural awareness and developing the infrastructure for community dialog, engagement and programming.

Museums 

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Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte o Museum Mission: The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art seeks to add significantly to the cultural landscape through exhibitions and programs that celebrate and explore the Bechtler collection of 20th-century modern art as well as the personal materials related to the collection that illuminate the unique role of the Bechtler family as patrons of the period’s most innovative and influential artists. Discovery Place, Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Discover the Extraordinary” o Our Mission: We exist to ignite wonder as a preeminent science education center providing extraordinary experiences that engage people in the active exploration of science and nature. o Discovery Place, Inc. is a private 501c(3) not-for-profit education organization dedicated to inspiring exploration of the natural and social world through extraordinary exhibitions and educational programs that inform, challenge and engage audiences of all ages. o Education:  Field Trips and On-site Classes  ScienceReach  Homeschool Programs  Summer Camp  Adult Programs o Charlotte Nature Museum, Charlotte  Visitors may walk among free-flying butterflies, observe live animals, buzz around with insects or hang out in the natural world. Daily programming including puppet shows and hands-on activities provide the opportunity for structured learning and informal play for the young and old alike. o Discovery Place KIDS, Huntersville  Providing an extraordinary and rich play experience that engages children’s imagination and inspires learning, the Museum is designed to serve children and their parents or caregivers. Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture, Charlotte o Slogan: “Where you belong.” o Our Mission: The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture presents, preserves and celebrates excellence in the art, history and culture of African-Americans and those of African descent. We ignite engagement and conversations that inspire, empower and enlighten all. o Programs:  Education & Outreach  Lectures & Demonstrations  Single Session Workshops  Artist-In-Residence Program  Family First (presented by Snyder’s-Lance) Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte o What is the New South?: The New South means people, places and a period of time — from 1865 to today. Levine Museum of the New South is an interactive history museum that provides the nation with the most comprehensive interpretation of post-Civil War southern society featuring men, women and children, black and white, rich and poor, long-time residents and newcomers who have shaped the South since the Civil War.

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Our Mission: To engage a broad-based audience in the exploration and appreciation of the diverse history of the South since the Civil War, with a focus on Charlotte and the surrounding Carolina Piedmont. Through the Museum we collect, preserve, and interpret the materials, sights, sounds, and ideas that illumine and enliven this history. The Museum presents opportunities for life-long learning about this history for the benefit, enjoyment and education of children and adults, and provides historical context for contemporary issues and a community forum for thoughtful discussion. o Education o Programs & Events McColl Center for Visual Art, Charlotte o McColl Center for Visual Art is a nationally acclaimed contemporary art center dedicated to connecting art and artists with the community. Located in a historic, neo-Gothic church in Uptown Charlotte, the Center houses nine artist studios and over 5,000 square feet of gallery space. We welcome the public to explore our exhibitions and connect with artists through various programs including open studios, community outreaches, workshops and more. o Programs:  Summer Arts Institute  Adult Workshops  Artist Opportunities  Education  Open Studio Saturdays  Community Projects & Outreaches  Innovation Institute The Mint Museum(s), Charlotte o About the Mint: An internationally-renowned institution, The Mint Museum is dedicated to collecting, conserving, exhibiting, inspiring, publishing and protecting important works of art and design from all over the global art community. Our commitment to integrity, leadership and innovation intends to encourage not only the understanding of diverse peoples and cultures, but respect for the impact and influence they’ve had on each and every one of us. Through our two locations, Mint Museum Uptown and Mint Museum Randolph, we hope to stimulate the senses, ignite inner passion and compel our visitors to share the things that inspire them with the world. Just as our artists do. o Learning Programs:  Adult Classes  Children & Teen Classes  Summer Camps  Master Classes o Projects:  Vote for Art  Project Ten Ten Ten  Artist in Residence

Support for the Arts & Culture 

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 The public art agent for the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Public Art Program  Calls To Artists  Projects  Public Art Walking Tour o Professional Development Workshops  ASC Workshops & Training Opportunities  Previous ASC Workshops  Other WorkshOpportunities o Cultural Leadership Training Program o Emerging Leaders Program o Community Supported Art (CSA) Program o Artist Directory o Cultural Planning o CharlotteCultureGuide.com o Grants and Funding o Power2Give.org Charlotte Center City Partners o Center City 2020 Vision Plan: a framework for future development in the Urban Core o Annual “State of the Center City Report” o Our vision is for Charlotte’s Center City to be viable, livable, memorable, and sustainable, with modern infrastructure, a tapestry of unique neighborhoods, and a diversity of thriving businesses. We envision and implement strategies and actions to drive the economic, social and cultural development of Charlotte’s Center City. The vision is the continuation of the growth of our city as pedestrian-friendly and walkable, with comfortable and interesting neighborhoods. It must have mixed growth, with balanced initiatives that are leveraged by public and private investment. o Initiatives:  Rail Trail Vision  Romare Bearden Park  BB&T Ballpark – Home of the Charlotte Knights  Lynx Blue Line Extension  Charlotte Streetcar Starter Line  Charlotte Gateway Station The Lynnwood Foundation (dba Duke Mansion/The Lee Institute), Charlotte o Duke Mansion Slogan: “Stay. Celebrate. Meet. Relax.” o Missions: (1) To maintain and preserve the national historic site known as The Duke Mansion by operating it as a unique meeting facility and community gathering place, and (2) to create and operate The Lee Institute, which focuses on building collaborative community leadership. o

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Health Healthcare for the Homeless & Free/Low-Cost Clinics 

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Education: We firmly believe that education is the key to helping end poverty. We offer a wide array of classes including English as a Second Language, Computer classes, and LEARN Works, our afterschool tutoring and enrichment program, and;  Human Services Care Ring (formerly Community Health Services), Charlotte o Slogan: “The Heart of Community Health” o Our Mission: Empowering individuals with limited resources to establish and maintain good health. o Care Ring provides access to medical and dental care to the uninsured and underinsured. Care Ring strives to empower individuals to take responsibility for their own health through education, a lowcost clinic, and programs such as Physicians Reach Out and Nurse-Family Partnership. o Programs:  Care Ring Low-Cost Clinic  Physicians Reach Out – Volunteer physicians, dentists and allied health professionals provide free or low-cost health care for low-income individuals  Nurse-Family Partnership – Evidence-based, nurse home-visiting program improves the health and well-being of first-time, low-income mothers and their children.  Care Ring WellCard Program – A discount health card used to receive a discount on prescription drugs, doctor visits, and vision care that are not covered by insurance.  Advocacy Charlotte Community Health Clinic, Charlotte o Mission: To provide acute, episodic and chronic disease medical care to uninsured, low-income residents of Mecklenburg County who lack access to care. This service is provided through a culturally diverse, volunteer-based organization with emphasis on education, training and community outreach. o Vision: To improve the health of uninsured residents of Mecklenburg County by providing quality care in a free health clinic setting. o Care Services:  Primary Care  Children’s Care  Chronic Disease Care  Women’s Care  Health Education Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center, Charlotte o Founded by the Junior League of Charlotte in 1967 as the first community speech and hearing center in North Carolina. At CSHC we believe communication is the key to connecting with the world. We are a unique organization that provides high quality services to everyone from senior executives to a single mom struggling to make ends meet. The revenue generated from one individual helps support our community initiatives. o Our Mission: To provide a full range of effective, family-centered speech-language and hearing services to everyone in need. o Services:  Hearing Services  Diagnostic Hearing Services  Hearing Aid Services  Aural Rehabilitation  Speech-Language Services  Clinical Services  Early Identification Programs  Workshops Children and Family Services Center, Charlotte

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Children and Family Services Center is a single building in Uptown Charlotte where ten agencies offer comprehensive assistance to strengthen families. A unified hand that helps others to help themselves. o Our Mission: Improving the lives of children and families through an innovative partnership of community resources that promotes strong families and advocates for change. o Agencies: A Child’s Place; Alexander Youth Network/The Relatives; Care Ring; Children’s Home Society of North Carolina; Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc.; Community Link; Council for Children’s Rights; NC MedAssist; Safe Alliance (formerly United Family Services); Smart Start of Mecklenburg County/Mecklenburg Partnership for Children The C.W. Williams Community Health Center, Inc., Charlotte (alternate link) (HSN) o C.W. Williams Community Health Center is a federally qualified health center that provides comprehensive, community-oriented healthcare to medically underserved individuals. In addition to commercial insurance, C.W. Williams accepts Medicare/Medicaid and offers a discounted fee structure based on federal poverty guidelines for families who qualify. o Services:  Primary Care  Pediatrics  Physical Exams  Health Screenings  Sports Physicals  Women’s Health  Teen Services  Immunizations  Vaccinations  Pharmacy o Programs:  Diabetes Program  HIV/AIDS Program  Homelessness Health Care Initiative  Mammography Screening Program  Women’s Health Program  K.I.C.K.S. – Kids Increasing Confidence and Keeping in Shape  Pharmacy Program HeartBright Foundation, Charlotte o Slogan: “Enlightening Hearts Through Self Awareness” o Our Mission: To promote cardiovascular wellness through prevention, awareness, and partnerships in the Charlotte Mecklenburg area. o Our main focus is providing education for the community in healthy lifestyles and to fund preventive cardiology programs in economically disadvantaged communities. o Programs:  The Big Break  Cardiac Resource Center  Educational Events  Provide Educational Speakers  Exercise Programs  Nutrition Services  Wellness Classes  Screenings  Wellness Center Innovative Community Resources, Inc., Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “Achieving Success Together, Step by Step”

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Innovative Community Resources NC Inc is a non-profit organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness and poverty in Mecklenburg County. o To make our mission a reality, we provide payee, financial literacy and budget counseling services to homeless and low-income individuals. This past summer, ICR joined a federal initiative known as SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery) which helps the chronically homeless complete social security applications faster. Instead of waiting one to two years, SOAR clients can begin to receive SSI/SSDI benefits in as little as two months. These benefits open the door to stable housing, food, medical care, substance abuse counseling and other support services. (From: www.idealist.org) o Services:  Professional Social Security Representative  Organizational Payee Services & Money Management  Qualified Professional Services (QMHP, QDDP)  Case Management Services  Counseling Services  Group Counseling Services  Clinical Supervision  Comprehensive Assessment and Evaluation Services Matthews HELP Center, Matthews o Slogan: “Helping Ease Local Poverty since 1979” “The House with a Heart” o The Mission: of Matthews HELP Center is to care for those in our community by providing programs and services that will meet life's basic needs and by connecting those in need with resources that improve quality of life. o Our Vision: is to be the central location in our community where help and resources are provided to those in need. The core values practiced daily by all staff state: in everything we do, we will act with respect, compassion and a determination to improve the quality of life for those we serve. o Programs & Services:  Crisis Assistance  Financial Assistance  Food Pantry  Clothing – Backporch Treasures Thrift Boutique  Community Connection  ESL Classes  Health Related Services  Seasonal Programs  Back 2 School Program  BounceBack Backpack Program  Thanksgiving Feast Program  Holiday Adoption Program (gifts, food, etc.) N.C. MedAssist, Charlotte Based o Slogan: “Dispensing Hope for the Uninsured.” o Mission Statement: To assist low-income, uninsured North Carolina residents by operating a licensed pharmacy that provides free medications, healthcare advocacy and related educational services. o Vision Statement: Improve the health and the lives of low-income individuals and families by providing free medications and high quality pharmaceutical services to the uninsured in all 100 counties of North Carolina. o Senior Care Initiative: Helping Seniors navigate Part D of the Medicare Program regardless of income. Salvation Army (HSN) o Slogan: “Doing the Most Good” o Mission Statement: The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

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The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte is prepared to meet the needs of our community with 15 centers of service and 5 Family Stores with services ranging from emergency assistance, sheltering, 7 Boys & Girls Clubs, adult rehabilitation and disaster relief. o Local Programs:  Homelessness - The Center of Hope  Shelter Health Services – Free healthcare and health education for homeless women and children  Booth Garden  Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC)  Disaster Services  Christmas Services  Worship  Camp Walter Johnson  Boys & Girls Clubs  Family Stores Shelter Health Services o Mission: To remove health issues as barriers to self-sufficiency for homeless women, and as impediments to development for homeless children, by providing free healthcare and health education to homeless women and children in Mecklenburg County, that is easily accessible. o Located at the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope shelter. o Services:  Health assessments, exams, screenings and a variety of tests  Lab work  In-clinic HIV testing will be launched soon  Flu shots  Free Prescriptions (no controlled substances or narcotics are prescribed or obtained by the clinic)  Over-the-counter medications  Personal care products, reading glasses and other typical drug-store items  Transportation assistance in the form of public bus passes is provided when needed to get to referral agencies or other providers o When their immediate health concern has been addressed, health education is initiated for medication compliance, disease control and management, nutrition, exercise and prevention. Urban Ministry Center, Charlotte (HSN) o Our Mission: The Urban Ministry Center is an interfaith organization dedicated to bringing the community together to end homelessness, one life at a time. o The Urban Ministry Center serves as a point of entry to services offered by a network of agencies that work closely to provide necessary opportunities for the homeless population. We are an interfaith agency drawing support and volunteers from more than 130 congregations. o Services Offered:  Basic Services: Soup Kitchen, Mail, Shower, Laundry, Telephone & Mail, Nurse, Dental van, Transportation (to DSS, DMV, SS, and clinics), Counselling, Support Groups  Outreach & Engagement  Permanent Supportive Housing  Temporary Shelter  Enrichment Programs: Art Works, Garden Works, Street Soccer, Voices of Love Choir, Running Works  Substance Abuse Treatment: SABER Treatment Program  Community Education  Room In The Inn o Brochure

Programs & Services for the Disabled 

Abilities Unlimited of the Carolinas, Charlotte

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Mission: To create, develop and energize the human spirit for those individuals with physical disabilities through adaptive activities and enhancements in their able-bodied environment. AUCarolinas is the primary sponsor for three programs for physically disabled individuals that compete regionally and nationally in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair softball and wheelchair track, field and swimming. Allegro Foundation, Charlotte o Slogan: “…a Champion for Children with Disabilities.” “Movement that Changes Lives!” o Allegro teaches 500 children with intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, orthopedic challenges (wheelchairs and walkers), Spina bifida, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, muscular dystrophy, visual and hearing impairments, children “at-risk”, and children with cancer in FREE classes every week! o Mission Statement: Allegro Foundation… a Champion for Children with Disabilities is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that combines movement instruction with educational & medical expertise, creating new techniques to teach children with disabilities and enhance their quality of life. o Basic Philosophy: Allegro’s basic philosophy emphasizes the total learning process by combining cognitive and muscle memories together to stimulate sequential and conceptual learning, problemsolving skills and communication, while also building motor skills/physical coordination, and eliciting strong emotional and physiological changes in the body. o Programs:  Free Community Outreach Classes  School Programs  Pre-school Programs  Summer Camp The Arc of Mecklenburg, Inc., Charlotte o Mission Statement: The Arc of Mecklenburg County creates opportunities within our community for people with cognitive impairments and their families to experience more meaningful and satisfying lives.  Connect people to community resources.  Create awareness and educate the community  Lobby local, state, and national legislators (education, housing, services, and funding).  Provide programming to educate and prepare people with disabilities for greater independence and social understanding.  Encourage empowerment and self-advocacy  Promote inclusion and community involvement o Programs & Services:  Advocacy Services  Family Support  Quarterly Workshops  Aktion Club – Disability self-advocacy  Noah’s Arc – Neonatal Intensive Care support. Autism Speaks, Charlotte o Slogan: “Autism Speaks. It’s Time to Listen.” o At Autism Speaks, our goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorder. We are dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder. We are committed to raising the funds necessary to support these goals. Autism Speaks aims to bring the autism community together as one strong voice to urge the government and private sector to listen to our concerns and take action to address this urgent global health crisis. It is our firm belief that, working together, we will find the missing pieces of the puzzle. o Family Services:  Autism Apps

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 Autism Response Team  Tool Kits  Military Families  Resource Guide  Resource Library  Adult Services  Autism and Epilepsy  Technology Central  Autism Safety Project  Combating Bullying  Community Connections  Health and Wellness  Grants  Participate in Research  Your Religious Community  Going Out to Eat  Video Glossary  Nantucket Autism Speaks Resource Center  Heart of Autism  Youth Organizations  Non-English Resources o Research:  Autism Treatment Network  Grants & Fellowships  Explore the Studies We're Funding  Participate in Research  Research Initiatives  Strategic Plan for Science  DELSIA o Advocacy Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Charlotte o The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. We fund more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support. We are a nonprofit donor-supported organization dedicated to attacking cystic fibrosis from every angle. Our focus is to support the development of new drugs to fight the disease, improve the quality of life for those with CF, and ultimately to find a cure. Disability Rights & Resources, Charlotte o We are an advocacy-based, consumer-controlled, community-embedded center that advocates with and serves as mentors for people with disabilities. (The Independent Living philosophy is central to their mission.) o Core Services:  Advocacy  Peer Mentoring  Independent Living Skills  Information & Referral  My Home, My Choice o Additional Programs & Services:  Workshops  Speakers  Disability Awareness Training  Transportation Resources

September 2013

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 Audio Description Easter Seals UCP, Charlotte o Our Mission: To create opportunities, promote individual choice, and change the lives of children and adults with disabilities by maximizing their individual potential to live, learn and work in their communities. o Services:  Early Childhood  Foster Care & Family  Developmental Disability  Mental Health  Employment  Military & Veterans  Camp & Recreation Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC), Davidson o Mission: ECAC is committed to improving the lives and education of ALL children through a special emphasis on children with disabilities. o Programs & Services:  Parent Training & Information Center  NC Parent Information and Resource Center (NC PIRC)  Family to Family Healthcare Information Center (HIC)  Workshops, Webinars, Institutes, and Online Learning InnerVision, Inc., Charlotte o Mission Statement: To provide comprehensive recovery oriented resources, services and supports in the areas of employment, education and wellness to unemployed adults, inclusive of individuals with trauma challenges and psychiatric disabilities, that enhance their value added as citizens of the community. o Services:  Stress Management  Individual & Group Outpatient Counseling  In-Home Child & Family Services  NC Job Link Access Point  Job Support Group  Consumer Job Support Group  NAMI Connections Consumer Support Group  Family Education  Community Forums for Consumer, Family, Community Stakeholders LifeSpan, Charlotte o Slogan: “Abilities Illuminated” o Vision: LIFESPAN empowers lives in innovative ways. o Mission: LIFESPAN empowers children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing education, employment, and enrichment opportunities to live, work, and play in their communities . o Although we've been through many changes and experienced phenomenal growth during the past three decades, our mission has remained the same - to develop and operate programs that emphasize inclusion and choice in order to provide education, employment, and enrichment to individuals with developmental disabilities. o Services Provided:  Adult Day Care  Long Term Vocational Supports  ADVP  Personal Assistance  Alternative Family Living (AFL)

September 2013

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 Residential Supports  Community Activity & Employment Services  Supported Employment  Community Alternative Program (CAP/MRDD)  Services for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)  Day Activity  Private Pay  Day Supports  ICF/MR  Enhanced Respite and Personal Care  Developmental Day  In-Home Skill Building  Respite  Innovations Services  Personal Care Supportive Housing Communities, Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “A Place to Live Again.” o Operates McCreesh Place permanent supportive housing. o Mission: Provide affordable housing to alleviate homelessness and human suffering. o Vision: Our vision is to develop and operate permanent supportive housing for men and women overcoming homelessness, especially those with mental illness, substance abuse, and medical or other disabling conditions. o Supportive Housing Communities is part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Homeless Services Network (HSN). Our target population is homeless men with disabilities. Special needs requiring services include: mental illness, physical disabilities, developmental difficulties, chronic substance abuse history, and medical health issues. We do not provide emergency housing. o Our goals are:  To assist residents in obtaining/remaining in permanent housing  To encourage residents to increase skills and/or find employment  To foster self-sufficiency and improve self-image  To support recovery and wellness

Care & Resources for Aging Individuals 

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Adult Care and Share Center, Charlotte o Slogan: “When You Need Help Taking Care of Someone You Love” o Adult Care & Share Center is an adult day care and day health center. Our caring staff provides adult day care services for seniors or disabled adults who require assistance while their families are at work or attending to daily responsibilities. We offer a variety of stimulating activities and three levels of health care, determined by each individuals needs. Our staff of highly trained nurses and certified nursing assistants create a personalized plan of care for each participant based on their interests, needs and abilities. Alzheimer’s Association of Western North Carolina, Charlotte o Our Mission: To eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. o Our Vision: A world without Alzheimer’s. o Programs & Services:  24-Hour Helpline  Care Consultations  Support Groups  Message Boards  E-Newsletter  Community Educational Programs

September 2013

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 Professional Training  Alzheimer’s Association TrialMatch  MedicAlert + Alzheimers Association Safe Return  Advocacy Arthritis Patient Services, Charlotte o Slogan: “Uplifting the Community Since 1977” o Mission: We are here to provide help and hope to those people in our community who suffer from arthritis and other related conditions. We understand that there is more to arthritis care than what you get at the doctor's office, and Arthritis Services wants to fill that gap. Since there is no known cure for arthritis, the patient is left with a lot of work to manage their condition. Whether it's a support group, adaptive exercise classes, or just an ear to listen, we are here to assist you. We can help you even if you're not sure what it is you're looking for. o Programs & Services:  Education Programs  Health Services  Support Groups  Weight Program Charlotte Mecklenburg Senior Centers, Charlotte & Huntersville o Charlotte Mecklenburg Senior Centers, Inc. is a nonprofit organization providing services and opportunities to citizens 55 years and older and their families. It is publicly and privately funded and operates for all senior adults in the community, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or disability. o Mission: To serve as a focal point to deliver a broad spectrum of services and activities to older adults throughout the Charlotte Mecklenburg community. We strive to help seniors with their health and wellness, decrease their loneliness and isolation, and provide assistance with social, economic, and educational opportunities to enhance the quality of their lives. o Programs:  Educational & Social – Computer, dance, art and language classes, trips, seminars, bridge and other recreational activities.  Health & Wellness – Cardiovascular and strength training programs.  Information & Counseling – Guidance to services available at CMSC and in the community and their families in our community.  Multi-Cultural – Outreach to Latino, Russian, Vietnamese and Asian elderly immigrants.  Nutrition – Provides balanced, low cost meals to seniors daily.  Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) – Recruits and places volunteers within the community.  Senior Employment – Job counseling, training and placement. Friendship Trays o Friendship Trays generally delivers more than 600 meals daily to elderly, handicapped, and convalescing people who are unable or greatly restricted in their ability to prepare or secure meals and who reside within the area we can reach with our corps of drivers. Deliveries are at the lunch hour but the meal is a full one, more like what many people are accustomed to for dinner. While all recipients are asked to pay for their meals based on their ability to pay, recipient income alone does not pay for Friendship Trays. The Ivey, Charlotte o The Ivey Solution: Committed to being the best solution for families coping with the challenges of caregiving, The Ivey is driven by our mission to restore peace of mind for the entire family. The Ivey is THE solution, part of a preferred plan of care designed to allow aging loved ones to remain in their homes for as long as possible. o Socialization, Mind-Body Stimulation, & Programs: Exercise, Recreation, Spiritual, Psychosocial, Music, Art, Outreach, Healthcare, Personal Care, Nutrition Jewish Family Services of Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “The heart of our community”

September 2013

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JFS Mission: Jewish Family Services strengthens and empowers individuals and families through professional counseling, programs and services inspired by Jewish values. o JFS Vision: Jewish Family Services will be recognized within the community as the preferred social services resource center and provider of high-quality professional services, enabling our clients to adapt to change, cope with challenge and lead fulfilled lives. o Services:  Counseling & Therapy – Therapy, Support Groups, Domestic Violence  Family Connection Geriatric Care Management Program (“Family Connections Program”)  Children & Youth Services  Senior Services – Senior Outreach, Family Connections, Family Consultations, Information & Referral  Emergency Assistance & Case Management Love, Inc., Charlotte o Mission Statement: The mission of Love In the Name of Christ is to mobilize believers in Christ to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, elderly and disabled in our community. o Love INC does not seek to replace or duplicate what human service agencies and ministries are doing well, but only to supplement and complement the work of those agencies. o Volunteer Services:  Donate items to Baby Layette Ministry  Help with legal and medical forms  Handicap ramp construction  Safety bar installation  Painting (interior and exterior)  Minor plumbing  Minor home repairs  Minor electrical repairs (must be licensed)  Appliance repair  Office volunteer  Computer Ministry  Telephone Reassurance Ministry  Toiletry Pantry Ministry  General help with housecleaning, yard work, cleaning gutters, transportation, shopping, grocery delivery  Home visit/needs assessment N.C. MedAssist (see Healthcare for the Homeless & Free/Low-Cost Clinics) Shepherd's Center of Charlotte, Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Activities for Baby Boomers and Beyond” o Mission: Shepherd’s Center of Charlotte connects learning programs and services to support and enrich the lives of older adults. o What We Do: Shepherd’s Center programs follow the lifelong learning model providing participants with an intellectually stimulating experience in an atmosphere of friendship. o Programs:  Adventures in Learning  Computer Classes  Travel Adventures o Services:  S.enior H.ealth I.nsurance I.nformation P.rogram (SHIIP)  Tax Assistance  Transportation Services  Handyman Services

Youth Support 

Children’s Home Society of North Carolina

September 2013

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Our Mission: To promote the right of every child to a permanent, safe and loving family. Our Vision: To be a leader in transforming families and communities so children can thrive. CHS has one of the most comprehensive and seamless offerings of child welfare and family support services in the state – providing programs in parenting education, family preservation, teen pregnancy prevention, foster care, and adoption - all from one agency. Specific CHS initiatives include working to prevent teen pregnancy, providing education and support for parents having difficulty maintaining a stable family setting for their children, and supporting the efforts of public social services agencies to preserve families. When a child’s birth parents are unable to provide a safe, positive family environment, CHS finds safe shelter for those children through foster care and adoption. o Programs:  Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Educational Support  Parent Education  Parent Support Services  Intensive Family Preservation and Reunification Services  Foster Care  Family Finding  Birth Parent Counseling for Unplanned Pregnancies  Child Specific Adoption Recruitment  Adoption Matching and Placement Services  Contract Adoption Support Services  Clinical & Post Adoption Support  Mental Health Services  Family Support & Self Sufficiency Programs The C.W. Williams Community Health Center, Inc. (see Healthcare for the Homeless & Free/Low-Cost Clinics) Elon Homes & Schools for Children, Charlotte o Slogan: “Safe Haven. Life Skills. Education.” o Elon Homes and Schools for Children has a rich and proud heritage in the field of child development and services. We care for children from a variety of backgrounds and with a wide range of needs, strengths, hopes and dreams. o Our Mission is to provide safe haven, life skills and education to the children in our care. We serve our mission through three primary programs:  Community-Based Foster Care  Kids Central of the Carolinas Behavioral and Mental Health Services  Kennedy Charter Public School Florence Crittenton Services (HSN) o Slogan: “Health and Hope for Tomorrow’s Children.” o Our Mission: To promote health and hope for tomorrow’s children by providing comprehensive health, education and social services. o Programs for Pregnant, Non-Pregnant, and At-Risk Girls and Women:  Comprehensive medical and prenatal care  Social, educational, adoption and parenting support services  Substance abuse intervention, treatment and prevention o Services for at-risk or pregnant adolescents and women and their families:  Health Care and Prenatal Care  Education  Parenting Skills  Early Childhood Development Education  Life Skills (such as money and time management)  Scholarships  Group/Individual Counseling  Family Planning

September 2013

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 Career Services  Healthy Relationship Curriculum  Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention  Sarah’s House Mother/Child Program  Legacy Hall – An independent living skills program  Maternity Program  Prenatal Parenting Education Program (PPEP) Girls on the Run, Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties o Slogan: “Inspiring Girls to be Joyful, Healthy, & Confident.” o Our Mission: We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. o The Program: Girls on the Run® is a 501(c)3 positive youth development program which combines an interactive curriculum and running to inspire self-respect and healthy lifestyles in pre-teen girls. Our core curriculum addresses many aspects of girls’ development – their physical, emotional, mental and social well-being. Lessons provide girls with the tools to make positive decisions and to avoid risky adolescent behaviors. Junior League of Charlotte (JLC), Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Making a Difference Since 1926” o Mission Statement: The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, to developing the potential of women and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. o Reaching Out Statement: The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. and The Association of Junior Leagues International reach out to women of all races, religions and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism. o Vision Statement: The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. will be a leading force in improving the lives of children and families in this community. o Programs:  JLC Healthy Child and Family Initiative – Focusing on mental, dental, and physical health  Kids HealthLink  Go Kids Go!  JLC Advocacy  Kids in the Kitchen  You Are What You Eat Game Let Me Run, Charlotte o Let Me Run is a FUN, 7 week program for boys in grades 4th through middle school and is facilitated by trained coaches from your community. The program meets twice a week for about an hour and boys learn about building healthy relationships through a myriad of FUN activities that also improve personal strength, endurance and overall wellness. Let Me Run culminates when the boys run a 5k road race and celebrate their new friendships. o Summer Camp Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western North Carolina, Inc., Charlotte o Mission: To grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center o As the only child advocacy center in Mecklenburg County serving children from birth to age 18, Pat's Place provides a physical environment where a child's well-being is our first priority, reducing trauma and promoting healing from sexual abuse. o Program Services:  Family Advocacy  Forensic Interviewing

September 2013

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 Medical Evaluation  Multidisciplinary Team Investigations (MDT)  Community Outreach Pennies 4 Hope Project (P4HP), Charlotte o Slogan: “Giving Hope...Promoting Change...Making a Difference!” o Our Vision: Building a safe, healthy and sustainable community one family at a time! o Our Mission: We strive to holistically build stable relationships with marginalized and low income pregnant families; to help transform their lives by inspiring their creativity, their hopes and their dreams and to promote life, liberty and prosperity for all people! o The P4HP is a growing network of caring individuals who continuously make every effort to enhance the lives of pregnant families. We do this through encouragement, education, equipping and empowerment! o Our Pink Diamond Academy is a unique life enrichment approach to leadership development. o The FACETS Program for Pregnant Women provides free workshops in life skills training and development as well as the fundamentals of human rights and responsibilities!  Shower of Blessings – Baby Showers Planned Parenthood, Charlotte o Slogan: “Care. No Matter What.” o For nearly 100 years, we’ve worked to improve women’s health and safety, prevent unintended pregnancies, and advance the right and ability of individuals and families to make informed and responsible choices o Services Offered:  Abortion Referral  Birth Control  General Health Care  HIV Testing  LGBT Services  Men's Health Care  Morning-After Pill (Emergency Contraception)  Pregnancy Testing & Services  STD Testing, Treatment & Vaccines  Women's Health Care The Sandbox, Charlotte o Slogan: “Get Your Believe On!” “Locking Arms to Support Children with Cancer.” o The Sandbox locks arms with the community to walk with families whose children have cancer or lifealtering illnesses. Our goal is to help patients and their families during the most tumultuous times of their lives so they can focus on the most important factors: Believing and Healing. o Programs and Services:  Prom  Holidays and Occasions  Critical Family Needs Teen Health Connection, Charlotte o We are a non-profit healthcare practice that provides a safe, family-centered environment for adolescents ages 11 to 22, to receive medical and mental healthcare services along with health education. Teen Health Connection is a patient-centered medical home providing coordinated and unique quality healthcare to all patients. We believe in education and advocacy at every opportunity. We believe that parents and the community have ownership in assuring safe passage from adolescence to adulthood. We believe that every adolescent deserves opportunities to be successful. o Mission: To improve the health of adolescents by providing physical and mental healthcare, education, advocacy and research through connections with teens, parents and the community. o Vision: Every adolescent empowered to be healthy, safe and successful. o Services:

September 2013

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Medical Mental Health Center for Disordered Eating Health Education Programs: Art Therapy, Girls Educated and Motivated for Success (GEMS), Johnston Ziegler Scholership, Love & Logic Parenting Class, Teen Advisory Board Thompson Child & Family Focus, Matthews o Thompson is a non-profit organization operating three distinct campuses, each providing comprehensive education, treatment, and care for children (birth to 18 years) in need. o Our Mission: Called to serve children and families through healing, teaching, worship, and play. o Programs:  Thompson Child Development Center  Early Childhood Outreach  Family Support Services  Polliwog  Outpatient Therapy  Family Education  SBIT: School-Based Intervention Therapy  Foster Care Services  Foster Parent Licensing  Intensive In-Home Services  Day Treatment/The School at Thompson  PRTF: Psychiatric Residential Treatment  Professional Development (for Professionals in Family/Child Care Services)

Mental Health & Grief Counseling 

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The Harvest Center of Charlotte, Inc., Charlotte o Mission: To impact individual lives for change by addressing natural, physical, and spiritual needs, and by providing hope and opportunity for the less fortunate to become productive members of society. A homeless ministry, they also serve several meals per week and provide a food pantry and clothing. They have partnered with Jacobs Ladder and will be offering job readiness classes. o Services:  Counseling services (Southeast Psych)  Education classes  Hot Meals  Housing Support  Job Readiness  Clothing Innovative Community Resources (see Healthcare for the Homeless & Free/Low Cost Clinics) Jewish Family Services (see Healthcare for Aging Individuals) KinderMourn, Charlotte o Slogan: “When a Child Dies…When a Child Grieves…There is HELP…There is HOPE.” o Mission: KinderMourn provides hope for bereaved parents, grieving children and teens by offering support and counseling programs, creating awareness of bereavement issues and empowering the community to effectively assist those who have suffered an unthinkable loss. o At KinderMourn, bereaved parents and children have the opportunity to participate in support groups and other counseling programs where they find encouragement and healthy coping skills for dealing with grief. o Programs & Services:  Grieving Parents  Grieving Children & Teens  Empty Arms  School and Outreach Programs

September 2013

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 Bereaved Parent Support Group  Workshops  Individual Counseling Mental Health Association of Central Carolinas, Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: Spreading Hope, Spurring Action, Supporting Families, Saving Lives! o Mission Statement: The Mental Health Association of Central Carolinas, Inc. promotes mental wellness through advocacy, prevention and education in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties.  Advocate for a better mental health system  Prevent mental health crises  Educate community about mental health issues & break stigma of seeking treatment o Programs & Services:  Compeer – Compassionate volunteers  Community Outreach  Information and Referral Services  Legislative Education  Mental Health Services Delivery Monitoring  Multicultural Advocacy  ParentVOICE  Residential Service  Suicide Prevention Initiatives Pearls for Creative Healing, Charlotte o Pearls for Creative Healing is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using art to help end domestic violence by empowering survivors and providing an outlet for expressive arts. Art workshops allow survivors of domestic violence to gain a sense of empowerment, renewal and healing. The Respite, A Centre for Grief & Hope, Charlotte o Slogan: “Empowering Women Through Loss to Hope” o Our Mission: In an atmosphere of dignity and respect for the grief process, The Respite helps people, regardless of socio-economic status, who have suffered a significant loss in any form to reclaim a healthy and productive life. We provide a safe haven, a supportive community, and take a holistic approach that offers a variety of healing modalities (mind, soul and body) to empower individuals and families. Our vision is to shift how grief is viewed in the world - moving from shame and isolation to unveiling (or mining) grief's transformative gifts. We welcome grief and provide hope for tomorrow. Teen Health Connection (see Youth Support)

Addiction 

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Hope Haven Foundation, Inc., Charlotte (HSN) o Our Mission: Hope Haven Inc., a foundation of recovery, provides life skills for chemically dependent adults and families within a supportive residential environment leading to independence. o The focus is mostly on women (with children) recovering from substance abuse. o Services:  Clinical Services  Vocational Training  Resident Services  Catering Service Charlotte Rescue Mission: Rebound & Doves Nest, Charlotte o Slogan: “Changing Lives by God’s Grace” o Mission Statement: To minister the Good News of Christianity to individuals caught in the crisis of poverty, hopelessness, or addictions by meeting their spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. o Rebound: A half-way house for men struggling with addiction. o Dove’s Nest: A half-way house for women and mothers struggling with addition. Salvation Army (Adult Rehabilitation Center, see Healthcare for the Homeless & Free/Low-Cost Clinics) Florence Crittenton Services (see Youth Support) Supportive Housing Communities, Charlotte (HSN)

September 2013

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Slogan: “A Place to Live Again.” Operates McCreesh Place permanent supportive housing. Mission: Provide affordable housing to alleviate homelessness and human suffering. Vision: Our vision is to develop and operate permanent supportive housing for men and women overcoming homelessness, especially those with mental illness, substance abuse, and medical or other disabling conditions. o Supportive Housing Communities is part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Homeless Services Network (HSN). Our target population is homeless men with disabilities. Special needs requiring services include: mental illness, physical disabilities, developmental difficulties, chronic substance abuse history, and medical health issues. We do not provide emergency housing. o Our goals are:  To assist residents in obtaining/remaining in permanent housing  To encourage residents to increase skills and/or find employment  To foster self-sufficiency and improve self-image  To support recovery and wellness Urban Ministries Center (Substance Abuse Treatment: SABER Treatment Program, see Healthcare for the Homeless & Free/Low-Cost Clinics)

Prevention 

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Carolina’s CARE Partnership (HSN) o Slogan: “Providing Comprehensive AIDS Resources & Education” o Our Mission: The mission of the Carolinas CARE Partnership is to foster and ensure a regional approach to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, and to meet with compassion and dignity the needs of those affected by these diseases. o Programs:  Housing program, advocacy, HIV counseling and testing, prevention programs  HERO (HIV Education and Resource Opportunities) – A prevention program targeting AfricanAmerican and Latino men.  Community Based HIV Counseling & Testing  Carolina’s CARE Partnership Training Institute – HIV, Substance Abuse, Mental Health, Housing and Non-Profit Management.  Housing is Healthcare… – Housing is Healthcare for people living with HIV/AIDS. (Grant support from HUD’s Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program). Center for Prevention Services, Charlotte o The Center for Prevention Services is a private, non-profit agency that offers programs and services to help prevent substance abuse, teen alcohol and drug use, and promote drug free workplaces and schools. o Services:  Community Drug Prevention  Substance Abuse Prevention at Home  Workplace Drug Prevention  Training Courses o Bi-annual youth drug survey to help identify the extent of youth drug problems Clean Air Carolina, Charlotte o Our Vision: We envision a future in which residents understand the connection between clean air and physical health and are working to ensure North Carolina’s air quality meets or exceeds science-based air quality standards that protect public, environmental and economic health. o Programs:  Beyond Fossil Fuels  Clean Air for Kids!  Ozone Gardens  Medical Advocates for Clean Air  NC Clean Diesel

September 2013

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 Transportation The C.W. Williams Community Health Center, Inc. (see Healthcare for the Homeless & Free/Low-Cost Clinics) Florence Crittenton Services (see Youth Support) HeartBright Foundation (see Healthcare for the Homeless & Free/Low-Cost Clinics)

Fitness   

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Girls on the Run (see Youth Support) Let me Run (see Youth Support) Tarheel Trailblazers o Slogan: “Charlotte’s Mountain Bike Club!” o Mission: Provide our community the best possible opportunities to enjoy Mountain Biking. o We do this by:  Protecting, improving and maintaining the numerous trail systems available for our use in and around Metro-Charlotte.  Being the voice of Advocacy for Mountain Bikers.  Continuously looking for new locations to develop trail systems in and around MetroCharlotte.  Providing a source of information on rides and other activities related to Mountain Biking. The YMCA of Greater Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “For Youth Development. For Healthy Living. For Social Responsibilities.” o Our Mission: To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. o Our Vision: To connect and engage people to enhance lives and build community. o Our Focus:  For Youth Development: Nurturing the potential of every child and teen o Child Care; Y Readers; Y Achievers; Youth Sports; Swim Lessons; Summer Camp  For Healthy Living: Improving the nation's health and well-being o Programs: Y Guides; Cancer Wellness; Corporate Wellness; Diabetes Prevention; Health Coaching; Nutrition 101; Lifestyle Management & Medical Referral; etc. o Adult Sport Leagues; Life-long Learning; Spiritual Development  For Social Responsibility: Giving back and providing support to our neighbors o Social Services: Y Readers; Y Achievers; Parents as Teachers; Getting Ahead; Safe Place; Military Initiative; Children with Autism; etc. o Health Advocacy YWCA (HSN) o Slogan: “Eliminating Racism. Empowering Women.” o Our Mission: YWCA Central Carolinas is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. o Our Vision: The YWCA Central Carolinas will be the community's leading nonprofit agency for empowering women, strengthening youth and families and working toward racial justice. o Programs:  Families Together (FT) Program – Transitional housing program for homeless families  Women In Transition (WIT) Program – Safe affordable housing, intensive case management, support services and connections to the web of available community services  Youth Programs – The Youth Program's Tolerance and Prevention Initiative provides weekly workshops to engage at-risk youth in character-building activities that address communication, anger management and conflict resolution.  Sarah Belk Gambrell Fitness Center

Other 

Bee Mighty, Charlotte o Our Mission: To provide financial assistance to the parents of Presbyterian Hemby’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit babies battling significant medical challenges with limited financial resources, enhancing the child’s development and quality of life.

September 2013

Managed by The Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation.

Safety Post-Imprisonment Programs 

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The Center for Community Transitions (formerly ECO Inc.), Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “Building people, not prisons” o Our Goals:  Return individuals to their family and our community as law-abiding citizens and reengage them as parents, employees, and neighbors  To break the cycle of crime by supporting families, educating parents and the community and providing positive life skill development for children of incarcerated parents  To support alternatives to crime that will address the underlying causes and allow families to remain together. o The LifeWorks! program offers:  Employment Readiness Workshop  Employment Search.  Case Management  Referrals to Community Partners  Career Development & Job Retention  Life Skills & Critical Thinking o The Women's Facility houses 30 residents. These residents are attending self-help workshops, substance abuse meetings, parenting classes, spiritual workshops, attending college, and working and volunteering in the community. These women are in their last two years of their sentence and receive support from staff with transitioning back into society. o Empowering Kids With Incarcerated Parents (EKWIP) Program Changed Choices o Slogan: “Building new lives beyond prison walls.” o Mission Statement: As followers of Christ, our aim is to provide mental, emotional, physical and spiritual assistance to highly motivated women both during their incarceration and as they transition back into society, thus enabling them to make positive changes in their lives and to achieve selfsufficiency. o C.A.R.E.: The Comprehensive Approach to Reentry Effectiveness engages women during their incarceration, and upon release supports them through the challenges of transition (housing, employment, rehabilitation). o Second Helping: “Fresh Food. Fresh Start.” In its initial phase, Second Helping will prepare beautiful, healthy breakfasts and lunches from local produce. In the first year, we will train clients to prepare and sell individual lunches in uptown Charlotte from a “green” mobile lunch truck that has been converted to run on biodiesel fuel. During the week, the Second Helping truck will provide a convenient, affordable, healthy and environmentally responsible option for workday lunch. The truck, operational on the weekends and evenings, will also be available for festivals, as well as church and sporting events. o C.O.O.O.L.: Reaching Out to Adolescent Girls: COOOL (Changing Our Outlook On Life) is a mentoring program designed to address the needs of female youthful offenders by providing a role model and mentor, both during incarceration and upon re-entry. o Impacted Children: Changed Choices tries to encourage women to continue their relationship with their children during incarceration and attempt to help meet the needs of the children of incarcerated women. Exodus Foundation.org, Charlotte o Slogan: “Moving From Wilderness to Promise”

September 2013

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Vision: Our vision is to participate in creating a more sane, humane and safe world where color and class discrimination cease to contaminate justice and its resources and punishment as the answer to criminal activity is replaced by atonement, reconciliation, restorative justice and secured mental health treatment. Mission: To Stop the Flow of African-Americans to Prison through the one-on-one therapeutic friendships and support groups of the Red Sea Crossings Mentoring program. Exodus Foundation.org is committed to supporting you when you return to the community from prison. We have provided information, conducted research, provided advocacy and mentored formerly incarcerated persons. Along with its partners and allies, the foundation is currently building bridges with employers who are willing to hire people with records. It is also planning to recruit and train additional mentors and launch the soft skills workshops, a component of the mentoring program.

Low-Cost Legal Representation 

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Council for Children’s Rights o The Council for Children's Rights connects children and their families with agencies and institutions that can help them thrive. o Advocacy Teams:  Children’s Defense Team  Custody Advocacy Program  Individual Advocacy Team o We provide attorneys, advocates and staff to protect the rights and interests of children who find themselves in need of a voice. o The Larry King Center (LKC) for Building Children’s Futures  The LKC serves the community at a strategic level – maximizing the impact of work by providers, agencies, and funders. LKC is dedicated to supporting effective action for children by meeting four key needs:  Community Engagement  Community Planning  Public Policy Advocacy  Research and Evaluation  Reflecting the Council’s mission to stand up for every child’s right to be safe, healthy, and educated, The Larry King Center is focused initially on three priorities:  Improving school readiness  Reducing child abuse and neglect  Increasing access to physical and mental health care International House, Charlotte o Mission: Promote international understanding by serving as a center for diversity, advocating for people of diverse national backgrounds and facilitating professional and cultural exchange programs. o Programs & Services:  Ginter Immigration Law Clinic  Cultural Programs  Language Conversation Hours  International Book Club  Doorways – International Women’s Group  Global Identity Forums  Education  English Tutoring Program (ETP)  Youth English Tutoring Program (YETP)  English Classes  English Conversation Hours  Citizenship Classes  Citizen Diplomacy

September 2013

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Legal Aid, Charlotte area (HSN) o Slogan: “Life-Altering Solutions to Critical Legal Issues” o The staff of Legal Aid of North Carolina - Charlotte Office provides legal assistance in civil matters (non-criminal matters) to eligible, low-income clients who have problems with their basic needs and live in the area surrounding Mecklenburg County o Services & Projects:  Battered Immigrant Project (BIP)  Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative (DVPI)  Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention (MFP)  Senior Law Project (SLP) Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (LSSP), Inc., Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “A Full Measure of Justice for Those in Need” o Mission: To assure a full measure of justice for those in need. LSSP provides a wide range of civil legal assistance in civil matters to eligible low-income persons in the Charlotte metropolitan area and west-central NC. LSSP accomplishes its mission through a variety of legal advocacy strategies including individual advice and representation, community education and outreach, representation of groups, self-help remedies, collaboration with other agencies, community economic development, legislative and administrative advocacy, and impact litigation. o Programs & Services:  Family Support and Health Care  Immigrant Justice  Consumer Protection and Employment Law  Legal Services for the Elderly  HIV/AIDS Legal Assistance Project  Veterans Legal Services Project

Safe Housing 

Safe Alliance (formerly United Family Services), Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “Where Hope and Healing Begin.” o Strategic Plan: Focused on building a continuum of shelter, advocacy, legal and counseling services to empower those struggling with domestic and sexual violence, child abuse and emotional trauma. o Our Mission is to provide hope and healing for people in crisis. We do this through a variety of programs and services:  Safety Planning – Domestic Violence  Shelter – Domestic Violence  Rape Crisis Services  Court Advocacy/Accompaniment & Legal Representation  Photographic Injury Documentation  Counseling  Support Groups – Sexual Assault/Rape and Domestic Violence  Tree House Children’s Advocacy Center  Program for Incarcerated Women  Crime Victims Compensation  Referrals & Case Management  Employee Assistance Program  Education & Systems Advocacy

Safety Education 

Safe Kids Charlotte Mecklenburg, Charlotte o Slogan: “Preventing Injury One Child at a Time.” o Offers safety tips including: Child Passenger Safety, Water Safety, Poison/Drug Safety, Fire/Burn Safety, Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety. The Charlotte Fire Department leads this effort. o Safety Information/Resources:  Child Passenger Safety

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Water Safety Poison/Drug Safety Fire/Burn Safety Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety

Environment Environmental Conservation/Preservation 

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Carolina Thread Trail, Mecklenburg o Slogan: “Weaving Communities Together” o The Carolina Thread Trail, also known as The Thread, is a regional trail network that will ultimately reach 15 counties and more than 2.3 million people. More than a hiking trail, more than a bike path, The Thread preserves our natural areas and is a place for exploration of nature, culture, science and history. The Thread arose from a discovery process started in 2005 when the Foundation For The Carolinas convened more than 40 regional leaders and organizations to determine the region’s most pressing environmental needs and concerns. From that process, open space preservation surfaced as the number one priority. The Carolina Thread Trail was successfully launched in 2007 as a project focused on preserving natural corridors and connecting people to nature through a network of connected trails. Under the leadership of Catawba Lands Conservancy and many local partners, the Carolina Thread Trail strengthens the region and promotes economic development, education, better health and land conservation by connecting people, businesses and communities of diverse backgrounds and interests. While not every local trail will be part of the Carolina Thread Trail system, The Thread is linking regionally significant trails and many regional attractions. Think of it as a “green interstate system” of major trails and conservation lands created through local efforts throughout the region. The Thread will emerge over time as communities work together to plan and build trails reflecting community character, aspirations and priorities. Currently, 113 miles of The Thread are open to the public in North and South Carolina with 14 active corridors under development. Catawba Land Conservancy, Charlotte o Our Mission: Catawba Lands Conservancy is dedicated to saving land and connecting lives to nature. o Our Vision: In 2010, CLC initiated a 20-year plan, known as Conservation Vision 2030, which sets a goal of permanently conserving 50,000 acres by 2030. The vision identifies four key focus areas – wildlife habitat, clean water, local farms and connection to nature - that will guide our critical decisions and planning for saving land and stewardship efforts. o Conservation is done through: conservation easements, land donations, and bargain sales. Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation (CRF) o Slogan: “Advocacy. Education. Protection.” o The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation ("CRF") was formed in 1997. It is an award winning 501(c)(3) non-profit operating in the 24 counties of the Catawba River watershed in North and South Carolina. o The Catawba River is one of the most endangered rivers in the US. o Mission Statement: We educate and advocate to protect the Catawba-Wateree River Basin's lakes, rivers and streams for everyone who depends on and enjoys them. o Riverkeeper Programs  Covekeeper Programs  Muddy Water Watch Program  Youth Kayaking River Expedition Program  Eco-Tours: Fall Leaf Tour or Spider Lily Eco-Tour Davidson Lands Conservancy o Davidson Lands Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust that works with willing landowners to save land in the Davidson, North Carolina area in order to preserve a healthy, natural environment for future generations. The Davidson Lands Conservancy works to PROTECT valuable land, EDUCATE the public about the benefits of conservation, and ADVOCATE on behalf of our ecosystems.

September 2013

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Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide the citizens of Davidson and surrounding areas alternatives to urban living by protecting natural lands and other open spaces for ecological and aesthetic purposes. The conservancy has the following objectives:  Preserve ecologically valuable lands: to protect diverse wildlife habitat and environmental balance;  Maintain open space: to conserve woodlands, wetlands, productive farms, timberlands, and open spaces in town;  Sustain water and air quality: to protect stream corridors and lake front; to promote walking and cycling;  Enhance the lives of residents: to inform land holders and others of conservation advantages; to preserve historic and aesthetic sites; to develop trails and greenways; to offer opportunities for educational, artistic, and recreational activities in natural spaces to all people in the Conservancy area. o WOW – Wild World of Wonder – Free nature discovery program for families Exodus Foundation.org, Charlotte o Slogan: “Moving From Wilderness to Promise” o Vision: Our vision is to participate in creating a more sane, humane and safe world where color and class discrimination cease to contaminate justice and its resources and punishment as the answer to criminal activity is replaced by atonement, reconciliation, restorative justice and secured mental health treatment. o Mission: To Stop the Flow of African-Americans to Prison through the one-on-one therapeutic friendships and support groups of the Red Sea Crossings Mentoring program. o Exodus Foundation.org is committed to supporting you when you return to the community from prison. We have provided information, conducted research, provided advocacy and mentored formerly incarcerated persons. Along with its partners and allies, the foundation is currently building bridges with employers who are willing to hire people with records. It is also planning to recruit and train additional mentors and launch the soft skills workshops, a component of the mentoring program

Environmental Policy 

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Charlotte Center City Partners o Center City 2020 Vision Plan: a framework for future development in the Urban Core o Annual “State of the Center City Report” o Our vision is for Charlotte’s Center City to be viable, livable, memorable, and sustainable, with modern infrastructure, a tapestry of unique neighborhoods, and a diversity of thriving businesses. We envision and implement strategies and actions to drive the economic, social and cultural development of Charlotte’s Center City. The vision is the continuation of the growth of our city as pedestrian-friendly and walkable, with comfortable and interesting neighborhoods. It must have mixed growth, with balanced initiatives that are leveraged by public and private investment. o Initiatives:  Rail Trail Vision  Romare Bearden Park  BB&T Ballpark – Home of the Charlotte Knights  Lynx Blue Line Extension  Charlotte Streetcar Starter Line  Charlotte Gateway Station Clean Air Carolina, Charlotte o Our Vision: We envision a future in which residents understand the connection between clean air and physical health and are working to ensure North Carolina’s air quality meets or exceeds science-based air quality standards that protect public, environmental and economic health. o Programs:  Beyond Fossil Fuels  Clean Air for Kids!

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 Ozone Gardens  Medical Advocates for Clean Air  NC Clean Diesel  Transportation o Brochure Envision Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “Uniting for a Sustainable City” o Mission:  Model Programs  Detailed Measurements  Regional Strengths o Vision: Envision Charlotte is a unique public-private collaboration that will be a global model of environmental sustainability for measurable community and economic results. o Programs:  Smart Energy Now Program  Smart Water Now Program  Smart Waste Now Program  Smart Air Now Program NC Wildlife Foundation (NCWF) o Slogan: “Wild Lives, Wild Places” o NCWF Mission: The mission of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation is to be the leading advocate for all North Carolina wildlife and its habitat. o Matthews Chapter: Habitat and Wildlife Keepers (HAWK) o Charlotte/Belmont Chapter: Mountain Island Lake Wildlife Stewards The Sierra Club Central Piedmont Group, Charlotte o Slogan: “Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet“ o Monthly meetings focus on educating members and the general public on the environmental issues of our time. The overall mission of the Sierra Club is to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the Earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives. Sustain Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “…because our decisions today, determine our quality of life tomorrow.” o Our Mission: Inspiring choices that lead to a healthier and more vibrant community for generations to come. o Charlotte 2030: A Sustainable Vision for Our Region o Sustain Charlotte is a nonprofit organization helping to advance a region-wide sustainability movement by serving as a catalyst for change. Our mission is to inspire, inform, and facilitate a holistic and collaborative approach to building a vibrant and sustainable future for the entire Charlotte metropolitan region. UNC Charlotte Urban Institute o The Institute is one of the nonpartisan applied research and community outreach centers of UNC Charlotte. Founded in 1969, the Institute provides a wide range of services, including technical assistance and training related to operations and data management; public opinion surveys; land-use and natural resources consulting; economic development research and community planning to meet the needs of the Charlotte region and its citizens. The Institute is part of UNC Charlotte's Metropolitan Studies and Extended Academic Programs (MSExAP), which oversees a number of the University's premier community engagement initiatives. o Our Mission: To seek solutions to the social, economic and environmental challenges facing our communities. o Focus: Economy, Environment, Social Well-Being o Programs:

September 2013

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 PlanCharlotte.org  Institute for Social Capital, Inc. (See below)  Charlotte Regional Indicators Project  Charlotte Regional Indicators Project Partners  Renaissance Computing Institute, UNCC  Charlotte Mecklenburg Annual Survey  Transportation Information Management System  Center for Transportation Policy Studies  Charlotte Business Confidence Index o Institute for Social Capital, Inc.  Its mission is to provide social resources that advance University research and increase the community’s capacity for data-based planning and evaluation. At its core is a comprehensive set of social and human data gathered from several public and nonprofit organizations in the region.  By combining key sources of data into one community database, ISC provides a valuable resource to assess the impact of specific interventions across agency lines and to better understand the social and environmental variables that affect the community, particularly with regard to outcomes for children and families. US Green Building Council (USGBC), Charlotte Branch o Slogan: “Build Green. Teach Green. Live Green” o The NC USGBC Charlotte Branch promotes green building practices and knowledge in the Charlotte Region and western North Carolina. We are a respected and visible catalyst for change, bringing together the best of the region’s building professionals to exchange ideas, build experience and raise public awareness of the economic, environmental and social benefits of green building. o Mission Statement (NC): Transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life. o Advocacy: State Advocacy, Local Government, Green Schools Advocacy, Commercial Advocacy, Residential Advocacy. o Education: Educational tools and resources; LEED Exams

Environmental Education 

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Carolina Raptor Center, Huntersville o Mission: Carolina Raptor Center is dedicated to environmental stewardship and the conservation of birds of prey, through education, research, and the rehabilitation of injured and orphan raptors. o Carolina Raptor Center is dedicated to environmental stewardship and the conservation of birds of prey through education, research, and the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned raptors. CRC’s environmental education programs reach approximately 40,000 students each year. Our Raptor Trail hosts more than 35,000 visitors a year. We collaborate in research projects conducted at universities and other raptor centers and initiate research that advances our knowledge of raptor biology and treatment, and the environmental health of our world in general. o Bald Eagle Nesting Discovery Place, Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Discover the Extraordinary” o Our Mission: We exist to ignite wonder as a preeminent science education center providing extraordinary experiences that engage people in the active exploration of science and nature. o Discovery Place, Inc. is a private 501c(3) not-for-profit education organization dedicated to inspiring exploration of the natural and social world through extraordinary exhibitions and educational programs that inform, challenge and engage audiences of all ages. o Education:  Field Trips and On-site Classes  ScienceReach  Homeschool Programs

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 Summer Camp  Adult Programs o Charlotte Nature Museum, Charlotte  Visitors may walk among free-flying butterflies, observe live animals, buzz around with insects or hang out in the natural world. Daily programming including puppet shows and hands-on activities provide the opportunity for structured learning and informal play for the young and old alike. o Discovery Place KIDS, Huntersville  Providing an extraordinary and rich play experience that engages children’s imagination and inspires learning, the Museum is designed to serve children and their parents or caregivers. Girl Scouts Hornets Nest Council, Charlotte o The council serves more than 16,000 with over 6,500 volunteers in eight counties in North and South Carolina: Anson, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Rowan, Stanly, Union and York (SC). o Girl Scout Mission Statement: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. o Program Focus Areas:  Environmental Leadership  STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering And Math)  Healthy Living  Community Building o Patch Programs and Totable Topics o Community Outreach US Green Building Council (USGBC) (see Environmental Policy)

Community Gardens 

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Friendship Gardens o Slogan: “Plots to thicken community…” o Purpose:  Grows healthy food, making it available to all, especially those with limited access;  Creates community around local food traditions;  Shares knowledge and passion for sustainable food production. o Programs:  HomeGrown  Mobile Market  Workshops  Garden Network o About: Most of our garden partnerships share their harvest for the benefit of Friendship Trays. To the community: we offer educational workshops, volunteer and leadership opportunities, community connections, and food access to those with limited options. Beyond the gardens, Friendship Gardens has developed a mobile market to sell fresh fruits and vegetables in food desserts and are currently working to add SNAP / EBT access for that service. At the heart of our mission is the development of an urban farm and learning center to grow food, train volunteers, educate our community and support the urban gardening community at large. Sow Much Good, Inc., Charlotte o Sow Much Good (SMG) was founded to eliminate socio-economic, racial, and ethnic health disparities that result from a lack of access to nutritionally dense food products in marginalized populations. SMG works to achieve food justice through programming and community based initiatives designed to provide equal access to organic food sources; to inspire individuals to take charge of their health and to promote healthy lifestyles through food and nutrition. o Sow Much Good is committed to growing healthy communities in underserved neighborhoods by:  Providing direct access to fresh, affordable food.  Educating and engaging residents to adopt healthy eating habits.  Advocating for the right of every person to have real food security.  Strategically placed community gardens.

September 2013

Vision: Neighborhoods that suffer from food insecurity will be transformed into well-served communities.  Professional Training & Community Education

Economics Umbrella Oraganizations 

Children and Family Services Center, Charlotte o Children and Family Services Center is a single building in Uptown Charlotte where ten agencies offer comprehensive assistance to strengthen families. A unified hand that helps others to help themselves. o Our Mission: Improving the lives of children and families through an innovative partnership of community resources that promotes strong families and advocates for change. o Agencies: A Child’s Place; Alexander Youth Network/The Relatives; Care Ring; Children’s Home Society of North Carolina; Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc.; Community Link; Council for Children’s Rights; NC MedAssist; Safe Alliance (formerly United Family Services); Smart Start of Mecklenburg County/Mecklenburg Partnership for Children

Employment Education, Training, & Assistance for Low-Income/Homeless Individuals 

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Ada Jenkins Families and Careers Development Center, Davidson o Slogan: “Opening the Doors to Opportunity” o Vision: To support the people of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and South Iredell County toward becoming better educated, healthier, and / or economically self-sufficient, empowering them for a better tomorrow. o Mission: To improve the quality of life for the residents of our communities through the integrated delivery of  Health: The Ada Jenkins Center is proud to offer vital health programs through the Free Clinic of Our Towns, our Mobile Community Dental Clinic and our Community Health Nurse.  Education: We firmly believe that education is the key to helping end poverty. We offer a wide array of classes including English as a Second Language, Computer classes, and LEARN Works, our afterschool tutoring and enrichment program, and;  Human Services Charlotte Area Fund o Slogan: “Helping People. Changing Lives.” o The Charlotte Area Fund (CAF) is a private non-profit corporation and Mecklenburg County’s designated community action agency. The purpose of the agency is to combat poverty by assisting low-income individuals and families with becoming self-sufficient. Since 1963, CAF has initiated and provided a variety of programs and services to serve the poor in Mecklenburg County. o Projects  Self-Sufficiency Project  Nutrition Assistance Project Community Culinary School of Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “Chef Inspired. Community Driven” o Mission: Community Culinary School of Charlotte is a nonprofit organization that provides training and job search assistance in the food service industry for people who have experienced barriers to employment. o The School addresses: job-training, unemployment and underemployment, hunger, family values, etc. o Relapse Prevention Service o BISTRO! Buggy Dress for Success, Charlotte. o Slogan: “Going Places. Going Strong.”

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Mission: To promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. o Programs:  Interview and Employment Suiting  Professional Women’s Group (PWG)  Going Places Network by Walmart  Career Center  Professional Workshops  Financial Literacy Program Goodwill Industries, Inc., Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “Donate. Purchase. Assist. Work.” o Our Mission: Changing Lives Through the Power of Work o Our Vision: All people in our region have the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential through family sustaining employment. o Programs, Services, and Training:  Career and Development Services  ESL  Employment Skills Training  Job Connections  Freedom Drive Job Connection  South Boulevard JobLink  Youth Services  GoodGuides  WIA Youth  Youth Job Conncetion  Operation Independence InnerVision, Inc., Charlotte o Mission Statement: To provide comprehensive recovery oriented resources, services and supports in the areas of employment, education and wellness to unemployed adults, inclusive of individuals with trauma challenges and psychiatric disabilities, that enhance their value added as citizens of the community. o Services:  Stress Management  Individual & Group Outpatient Counseling  In-Home Child & Family Services  NC Job Link Access Point  Job Support Group  Consumer Job Support Group  NAMI Connections Consumer Support Group  Family Education  Community Forums for Consumer, Family, Community Stakeholders Jacob’s Ladder Job Center (JLJC), Inc. (HSN) o Slogan: “Helping the Unemployed and Underemployed Find and Keep Living Wage Jobs.” o Who We Are... JLJC, Inc. was founded in 1998 as a compassionate response to the Welfare-to-Work movement and to chronic unemployment. Now serving the entire Charlotte Metro Area, typical clients are men and women who have encountered significant hurdles in their lives. o 4-Step Job Readiness Program:  Interviewing & networking coaching, goal setting, resume building, group sessions, motivational training, 6 months of on-going employment support/counseling, small financial incentives to encourage job retention, “A Perfect Fit” Job Outfitting. Speak Up Magazine, Charlotte

September 2013

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Our Mission: To produce a “street magazine” that provides source of income for vulnerably-housed people and increases public conversation by covering issues of homelessness, poverty and social justice. o Speak Up Magazine is primarily sold by homeless and vulnerably-housed individuals. This powerful opportunity replaces dependency with dignity. o Those in society without a voice – homeless, refugees, the trafficked, poor and the oppressed – are the focus of the magazine. Urban League of Central Carolinas o Slogan: “Education + Training + Placement = Dignity” o Our Mission: To empower the community to attain financial stability and social justice in a global economy through education, training and placement. o Our Vision: To be the premier change agent inspiring the community to attain socioeconomic and educational inclusion for a global economy. o Programs:  HVAC Training  Fiber Optics/Broadband Training  Technology and Business Empowerment Skills Training Program (TECH-BEST)  GED  Roads to Independence (Work First Participants referred by DSS)  Project Ready Mentor 2  Life Skills Intervention  Linking Youth to Technology Through Education (LYTE) (selected CMS schools)  Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Authorized Testing Center

Healthcare/Nutrition for Low-Income/Homeless Individuals  

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Ada Jenkins Families and Careers Development Center (see Employment Education for Low-Income/Homeless Individuals) ASPIRA of North Carolina, Charlotte o ASPIRA of North Carolina (ASPIRA NC), is a not-for-profit community based organization serving Latino/Hispanic youth and their families across the Carolinas. o Mission: To empower disenfranchised youth and their families to take responsibility for themselves and their community through programs and services that promote positive social and civic values; to create opportunities for self-improvement through academic instruction, employability training, community service, and to implement intervention strategies to foster family stabilization and neighborhood preservation. Care Ring (formerly Community Health Services), Charlotte o Slogan: “The Heart of Community Health” o Our Mission: Empowering individuals with limited resources to establish and maintain good health. o Care Ring provides access to medical and dental care to the uninsured and underinsured. Care Ring strives to empower individuals to take responsibility for their own health through education, a lowcost clinic, and programs such as Physicians Reach Out and Nurse-Family Partnership. o Programs:  Care Ring Low-Cost Clinic  Physicians Reach Out – Volunteer physicians, dentists and allied health professionals provide free or low-cost health care for low-income individuals  Nurse-Family Partnership – Evidence-based, nurse home-visiting program improves the health and well-being of first-time, low-income mothers and their children.  Care Ring WellCard Program – A discount health card used to receive a discount on prescription drugs, doctor visits, and vision care that are not covered by insurance.  Advocacy Charlotte Community Health Clinic, Charlotte o Mission: To provide acute, episodic and chronic disease medical care to uninsured, low-income residents of Mecklenburg County who lack access to care. This service is provided through a culturally

September 2013

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diverse, volunteer-based organization with emphasis on education, training and community outreach. o Vision: To improve the health of uninsured residents of Mecklenburg County by providing quality care in a free health clinic setting. o Care Services:  Primary Care  Children’s Care  Chronic Disease Care  Women’s Care  Health Education The C.W. Williams Community Health Center, Inc., Charlotte (alternate link) (HSN) o C.W. Williams Community Health Center is a federally qualified health center that provides comprehensive, community-oriented healthcare to medically underserved individuals. In addition to commercial insurance, C.W. Williams accepts Medicare/Medicaid and offers a discounted fee structure based on federal poverty guidelines for families who qualify. o Services:  Primary Care  Pediatrics  Physical Exams  Health Screenings  Sports Physicals  Women’s Health  Teen Services  Immunizations  Vaccinations  Pharmacy o Programs:  Diabetes Program  HIV/AIDS Program  Homelessness Health Care Initiative  Mammography Screening Program  Women’s Health Program  K.I.C.K.S. – Kids Increasing Confidence and Keeping in Shape  Pharmacy Program Florence Crittenton Services (HSN) o Slogan: “Health and Hope for Tomorrow’s Children.” o Our Mission: To promote health and hope for tomorrow’s children by providing comprehensive health, education and social services. o Programs for Pregnant, Non-Pregnant, and At-Risk Girls and Women:  Comprehensive medical and prenatal care  Social, educational, adoption and parenting support services  Substance abuse intervention, treatment and prevention o Services for at-risk or pregnant adolescents and women and their families:  Health Care and Prenatal Care  Education  Parenting Skills  Early Childhood Development Education  Life Skills (such as money and time management)  Scholarships  Group/Individual Counseling  Family Planning  Career Services

September 2013

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 Healthy Relationship Curriculum  Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention  Sarah’s House Mother/Child Program  Legacy Hall – An independent living skills program  Maternity Program  Prenatal Parenting Education Program (PPEP) Friendship Trays o Friendship Trays generally delivers more than 600 meals daily to elderly, handicapped, and convalescing people who are unable or greatly restricted in their ability to prepare or secure meals and who reside within the area we can reach with our corps of drivers. Deliveries are at the lunch hour but the meal is a full one, more like what many people are accustomed to for dinner. While all recipients are asked to pay for their meals based on their ability to pay, recipient income alone does not pay for Friendship Trays. Friendship Gardens o Slogan: “Plots to thicken community…” o Purpose:  Grows healthy food, making it available to all, especially those with limited access;  Creates community around local food traditions;  Shares knowledge and passion for sustainable food production. o Programs:  HomeGrown  Mobile Market  Workshops  Garden Network o About: Most of our garden partnerships share their harvest for the benefit of Friendship Trays. To the community: we offer educational workshops, volunteer and leadership opportunities, community connections, and food access to those with limited options. Beyond the gardens, Friendship Gardens has developed a mobile market to sell fresh fruits and vegetables in food desserts and are currently working to add SNAP / EBT access for that service. At the heart of our mission is the development of an urban farm and learning center to grow food, train volunteers, educate our community and support the urban gardening community at large. HeartBright Foundation, Charlotte o Slogan: “Enlightening Hearts Through Self Awareness” o Our Mission: To promote cardiovascular wellness through prevention, awareness, and partnerships in the Charlotte Mecklenburg area. o Our main focus is providing education for the community in healthy lifestyles and to fund preventive cardiology programs in economically disadvantaged communities. o Programs:  The Big Break  Cardiac Resource Center  Educational Events  Provide Educational Speakers  Exercise Programs  Nutrition Services  Wellness Classes  Screenings  Wellness Center Hope Haven Foundation, Inc., Charlotte (HSN) o Our Mission: Hope Haven Inc., a foundation of recovery, provides life skills for chemically dependent adults and families within a supportive residential environment leading to independence. o The focus is mostly on women (with children) recovering from substance abuse. o Services:

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 Clinical Services  Vocational Training  Resident Services  Catering Service LifeSpan, Charlotte o Slogan: “Abilities Illuminated” o Vision: LIFESPAN empowers lives in innovative ways. o Mission: LIFESPAN empowers children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing education, employment, and enrichment opportunities to live, work, and play in their communities . o Although we've been through many changes and experienced phenomenal growth during the past three decades, our mission has remained the same - to develop and operate programs that emphasize inclusion and choice in order to provide education, employment, and enrichment to individuals with developmental disabilities. o Services Provided:  Adult Day Care  Long Term Vocational Supports  ADVP  Personal Assistance  Alternative Family Living (AFL)  Residential Supports  Community Activity & Employment Services  Supported Employment  Community Alternative Program (CAP/MRDD)  Services for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)  Day Activity  Private Pay  Day Supports  ICF/MR  Enhanced Respite and Personal Care  Developmental Day  In-Home Skill Building  Respite  Innovations Services  Personal Care Loaves and Fishes, Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Groceries for Neighbors in Need” o Vision: It is our vision for all people in our community to meet their basic hunger needs by having access to nutritious food. o Mission: Our mission is to provide a week's worth of nutritious groceries to people within our community facing economic hardships. o Food pantries are scattered across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Area N.C. MedAssist, Charlotte Based o Slogan: “Dispensing Hope for the Uninsured.” o Mission Statement: NC MedAssist's mission is to assist low-income, uninsured North Carolina residents by operating a licensed pharmacy that provides free medications, healthcare advocacy and related educational services. o Vision Statement: NC MedAssist seeks to improve the health and the lives of low-income individuals and families by providing free medications and high quality pharmaceutical services to the uninsured in all 100 counties of North Carolina. o Senior Care Initiative: Helping Seniors navigate Part D of the Medicare Program regardless of income. Planned Parenthood, Charlotte

September 2013

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Slogan: “Care. No Matter What.” For nearly 100 years, we’ve worked to improve women’s health and safety, prevent unintended pregnancies, and advance the right and ability of individuals and families to make informed and responsible choices o Services Offered:  Abortion Referral  Birth Control  General Health Care  HIV Testing  LGBT Services  Men's Health Care  Morning-After Pill (Emergency Contraception)  Pregnancy Testing & Services  STD Testing, Treatment & Vaccines  Women's Health Care Shelter Health Services o Mission: To remove health issues as barriers to self-sufficiency for homeless women, and as impediments to development for homeless children, by providing free healthcare and health education to homeless women and children in Mecklenburg County, that is easily accessible. o Located at the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope shelter. o Services:  Health assessments, exams, screenings and a variety of tests  Lab work  In-clinic HIV testing will be launched soon  Flu shots  Free Prescriptions (no controlled substances or narcotics are prescribed or obtained by the clinic)  Over-the-counter medications  Personal care products, reading glasses and other typical drug-store items  Transportation assistance in the form of public bus passes is provided when needed to get to referral agencies or other providers o When their immediate health concern has been addressed, health education is initiated for medication compliance, disease control and management, nutrition, exercise and prevention. Sow Much Good, Inc., Charlotte o Sow Much Good (SMG) was founded to eliminate socio-economic, racial, and ethnic health disparities that result from a lack of access to nutritionally dense food products in marginalized populations. SMG works to achieve food justice through programming and community based initiatives designed to provide equal access to organic food sources; to inspire individuals to take charge of their health and to promote healthy lifestyles through food and nutrition. o Sow Much Good is committed to growing healthy communities in underserved neighborhoods by:  Providing direct access to fresh, affordable food.  Educating and engaging residents to adopt healthy eating habits.  Advocating for the right of every person to have real food security.  Strategically placed community gardens. o Vision: Neighborhoods that suffer from food insecurity will be transformed into well-served communities.

Education and Programs for Low-Income/Homeless Youth 

Bethlehem Center of Charlotte, Charlotte o Mission: To provide educational opportunities for low-income children and families to improve the quality of their lives. o Vision: A faith-based organization partnering with our community to educate, transform, and inspire fulfilled lives by embodying the love of Jesus Christ. o Programs:

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Bethlehem Center Freedom School (In collaboration with the Freedom School Partners) – Aimed to stop the inertia of summer learning loss.  Early Childhood Development –low-income or disabled pre-school age children  School Age Enrichment  Teen Programs – Girl Power, Boys to Manhood  After-School Enrichment Program  Summer Day Camp ( In collaboration with the Freedom School Partners)  Resident Camp  Prevention Ministries  All Stars: Drug, gang and alcohol prevention/education series  College Scholarship Fund  Community Outreach  “Stuff the Bus with School Supplies,”  Holiday Sharing: “Blessing Bags;” “Star of Bethlehem;” and Loaves and Fishes Referrals  Mecklenburg InterAgency Forum  360 Degrees of Fatherhood – Monthly parenting classes to engage fathers with their children  Senior Programs – Development programs including those for the visually impaired Blessings in a Backpack, Charlotte o We provide weekend nourishment to school children on the federal free and reduced meal program. o Our Mission: Blessings in a Backpack partners with America to ensure impoverished elementary school children are fed on the weekends throughout the school year. o Our Vision: Better test scores, improved reading skills, positive behavior, improved health and increased attendance have all been attributed to the success of this program. Bright Blessings, Charlotte o Slogan: “Joy, Care, Comfort, Hope For Homeless Children” o The goal of Bright Blessings is to bring joy, recognition and support to children and families during difficult and sad times in their lives. Our two core programs, Bless-A-Birthday and Bless-A-Baby, raises spirits and boosts confidence for homeless children ages tots to teens, and offers help and hope for babies beginning life amidst the struggles of homelessness. Each program incorporates education, enrichment and critical-care needs for the children we serve-- our commitment is to supporting the whole child. o Gift of Literacy Program (In partnership with First Book Charlotte) Bruce Irons Camp Fund (BICF), Charlotte-Mecklenburg o Slogan: “Enriching the Lives of Children” o BICF Mission: The Bruce Irons Camp Fund provides summer camp experiences and follow-up enrichment activities for Charlotte-Mecklenburg public school students who have limited financial resources and demonstrate strong academic effort, leadership potential, and good citizenship. Classroom Central, Charlotte o Slogan: “Supplying Our Students” o Our Mission: Classroom Central equips students living in poverty to effectively learn by collecting and distributing free school supplies. Functioning as a Free Store for teachers, Classroom Central serves as an invaluable resource for area students and classrooms. o Our Vision: Classroom Central ensures that all children living in poverty have all the tools they need to not only learn but to succeed. When equipped with the proper supplies, we believe there’s no limit to what children can achieve. o Our Program: Classroom Central serves high-poverty schools in six school districts: CharlotteMecklenburg, Gaston, Iredell-Statesville, Union, Kannapolis & Lancaster. Teachers and other school personnel in qualifying schools “shop” for free school supplies throughout the academic year. All materials distributed are used to create inviting learning environments and to support student’s academic and personal growth. Easter Seals UCP, Charlotte

September 2013

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Our Mission: To create opportunities, promote individual choice, and change the lives of children and adults with disabilities by maximizing their individual potential to live, learn and work in their communities. o Services  Early Childhood  Foster Care & Family  Developmental Disability  Mental Health  Employment  Military & Veterans  Camp & Recreation First Book, Charlotte o Mission: To give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. o We provide an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs. Freedom School Partners (formerly Seigle Avenue Partners), Charlotte o Vision: Freedom School for every child who needs one. o Mission: Engage, educate and empower children to succeed in school and in life through quality, year-round educational enrichment programs. o History: Freedom School Partners is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides quality summer Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® programs for students in grades K-8 living in Charlotte’s inner-city neighborhoods. Junior Achievement (JA) of the Central Carolinas, Charlotte based o Our Mission: Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas seeks to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy, with an end result of empowering them to own their economic success. o Who We Are: Junior Achievement is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. Junior Achievement’s programs—in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy—ignite the spark in young people to experience and realize the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century. o Programs:  JA Classroom Programs ®  JA BizTown (presented by Snyder’s-Lance) – The program combines in-class learning with a daylong visit to this fully-interactive simulated town facility.  JA Summer BizCamp ®  JA Finance Park – A personal finance curriculum, designed for middle to upper-grades students, through which students learn about financial institutions, saving, investing, spending, earning a paycheck, taxes, budgeting, debt and interest, careers and more. ®  JA Job Shadow The Urban Restoration, Inc., Charlotte o Since 1993 The Urban Restoration has served the children and families of Charlotte's inner city. Our focus is to provide hope and healing to these communities. As the tide of risk factors: crime, drugs, gangs, and abandonment increases, The Urban Restoration remains committed to strengthening the ministries that will meet the ever-increasing needs of lost and hurting people. o Our Mission: To restore the people of Charlotte's inner city to the plan that God has for their lives through Jesus Christ by ministering to their physical, social, and spiritual needs. o Our Vision: To see urban families strengthened and restored to rebuild their homes and communities. o Our Strategy: To provide support and leadership to urban-focused ministries and leaders and to equip them to work effectively in urban settings. o Event: Amazing Love – A Father Daughter Experience.

September 2013

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Youth Development Initiatives, Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Maximizing Potential in Youth & Youth Serving Organizations!” o Youth Development Initiatives Inc. seeks to maximize the potential in underprivileged, at-risk youth and the agencies that work with them by devising curriculum and training modules that establish effective guidance courses, after school and mentoring programs, and summer enrichment initiatives founded on research and widely recognized best practices. YDI program designs and curriculum encourages students to stay in school, develop personal action plans, serve their community, and develop the job-readiness skills necessary to compete in an ever-changing, 21st Century global marketplace o LIFT Academy (LIFT – Lifeskills Instructions For Teens): an afterschool program for at-risk youth ages 14-18. LIFT participants are referred to the program by juvenile court counselors, school resource officers, or guidance counselors because of adjudications, behavioral issues, and/or low academic performance. Participants receive tutoring/homework assistance, life skills training, career/college planning, and job skills preparation to help them stay in school, improve their grades, miss fewer days in school, and improve their overall decision making. o LIFT Youth Employment Services: During the summer, youth workers earn stipends while working approximately 25 hours per week for approximately nine weeks in jobs that ideally offer work experiences closely related to their chosen career fields. o LIFT Adult Mentoring Program (LAMP): Parents and volunteers in the LIFT Adult Mentoring Program (LAMP) undergo 2 .5 - 3 hours of training to learn how to confidently and cooperatively engage mentees in a relationship that leads toward achieving specific, tangible goals that have measurable outcomes and pre-set benchmarks. o Life Management Guidance Course: A comprehensive curriculum that steers youth through a personalized development process to identify what they want in life, devise a personal plan of action to reach their goals, and undergo life skills lessons, activities, and experiences that connect what they are learning in the classroom to real life.  Training Modules: Life Skills, Career Research, Entrepreneurship, Personal Economics, Job Readiness, Community Service YWCA (see Housing for Homeless/Low-Income Individuals)

Employment Assistance for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals 

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September 2013

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Slogan: “Building new lives beyond prison walls.” Mission Statement: As followers of Christ, our aim is to provide mental, emotional, physical and spiritual assistance to highly motivated women both during their incarceration and as they transition back into society, thus enabling them to make positive changes in their lives and to achieve selfsufficiency. o C.A.R.E.: The Comprehensive Approach to Reentry Effectiveness engages women during their incarceration, and upon release supports them through the challenges of transition (housing, employment, rehabilitation). o Second Helping: “Fresh Food. Fresh Start.” In its initial phase, Second Helping will prepare beautiful, healthy breakfasts and lunches from local produce. In the first year, we will train clients to prepare and sell individual lunches in uptown Charlotte from a “green” mobile lunch truck that has been converted to run on biodiesel fuel. During the week, the Second Helping truck will provide a convenient, affordable, healthy and environmentally responsible option for workday lunch. The truck, operational on the weekends and evenings, will also be available for festivals, as well as church and sporting events. o C.O.O.O.L.: Reaching Out to Adolescent Girls: COOOL (Changing Our Outlook On Life) is a mentoring program designed to address the needs of female youthful offenders by providing a role model and mentor, both during incarceration and upon re-entry. o Impacted Children: Changed Choices tries to encourage women to continue their relationship with their children during incarceration and attempt to help meet the needs of the children of incarcerated women. Exodus Foundation.org, Charlotte o Slogan: “Moving From Wilderness to Promise” o Vision: Our vision is to participate in creating a more sane, humane and safe world where color and class discrimination cease to contaminate justice and its resources and punishment as the answer to criminal activity is replaced by atonement, reconciliation, restorative justice and secured mental health treatment. o Mission: To Stop the Flow of African-Americans to Prison through the one-on-one therapeutic friendships and support groups of the Red Sea Crossings Mentoring program. o Exodus Foundation.org is committed to supporting you when you return to the community from prison. We have provided information, conducted research, provided advocacy and mentored formerly incarcerated persons. Along with its partners and allies, the foundation is currently building bridges with employers who are willing to hire people with records. It is also planning to recruit and train additional mentors and launch the soft skills workshops, a component of the mentoring program

Economic Policy & Development 

September 2013

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Charlotte International Cabinet (CIC), Charlotte o The CIC promotes Charlotte as an international city and serves as a resource to foster international relationships, highlighting Charlotte's eight sister city partnerships. The Cabinet is a source for answering multiple kinds of requests from local government and our community. It works as a consultant to elected officials and city staff on local activities of international scope and is a reflection of our community's changing face. The CIC meets six times a year and serves as an open forum to discuss any international issues the city is facing and to update members on all ongoing Cabinet activities. These meetings are open to the public and interested members of the community are encouraged to attend. The CIC is the Charlotte Region's leading resource for promoting international business and international communities. o A Guide to Charlotte’s International Organizations Envision Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “Uniting for a Sustainable City” o Mission:  Model Programs  Detailed Measurements  Regional Strengths o Vision: Envision Charlotte is a unique public-private collaboration that will be a global model of environmental sustainability for measurable community and economic results. o Programs:  Smart Energy Now Program  Smart Water Now Program  Smart Waste Now Program  Smart Air Now Program Lake Norman Regional Economic Development Corporation, Davidson, Cornelius, and Huntersville o Slogan: ‘Serious Business. Serious Fun. That’s What North Carolina’s Lake Norman Region is All About.” o Our Mission: The Lake Norman Regional Economic Development Corporation is responsible for the development and implementation of the economic development strategy for the towns of Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville, and the Lake Norman region. These strategies will result in improving the quality of life for the region’s residents through the expansion of the tax base by attracting new capital investment and creating new, highly skilled jobs for the regions residents. o Goals:  Expansion of existing business and industry  Opportunities for and encouragement of investment by new business and industry  A spirit of cooperation between business, government, schools and the community UNC Charlotte Urban Institute o The Institute is one of the nonpartisan applied research and community outreach centers of UNC Charlotte. Founded in 1969, the Institute provides a wide range of services, including technical assistance and training related to operations and data management; public opinion surveys; land-use and natural resources consulting; economic development research and community planning to meet the needs of the Charlotte region and its citizens. The Institute is part of UNC Charlotte's Metropolitan Studies and Extended Academic Programs (MSExAP), which oversees a number of the University's premier community engagement initiatives. o Our Mission: To seek solutions to the social, economic and environmental challenges facing our communities. o Focus: Economy, Environment, Social Well-Being o Programs:  PlanCharlotte.org  Institute for Social Capital, Inc. (See below)  Charlotte Regional Indicators Project  Charlotte Regional Indicators Project Partners

September 2013

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 Renaissance Computing Institute, UNCC  Charlotte Mecklenburg Annual Survey  Transportation Information Management System  Center for Transportation Policy Studies  Charlotte Business Confidence Index o Institute for Social Capital, Inc.  Its mission is to provide social resources that advance University research and increase the community’s capacity for data-based planning and evaluation. At its core is a comprehensive set of social and human data gathered from several public and nonprofit organizations in the region.  By combining key sources of data into one community database, ISC provides a valuable resource to assess the impact of specific interventions across agency lines and to better understand the social and environmental variables that affect the community, particularly with regard to outcomes for children and families. Sustain Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “…because our decisions today, determine our quality of life tomorrow.” o Our Mission: Inspiring choices that lead to a healthier and more vibrant community for generations to come. o Charlotte 2030: A Sustainable Vision for Our Region o Sustain Charlotte is a nonprofit organization helping to advance a region-wide sustainability movement by serving as a catalyst for change. Our mission is to inspire, inform, and facilitate a holistic and collaborative approach to building a vibrant and sustainable future for the entire Charlotte metropolitan region.

Housing for Homeless/Low-Income Individuals 

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September 2013

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Mixed-Income Housing (HUD’s HOPE IV Program and Tax Credits are used to help finance) Assisted (Low-Income) Housing Housing Choice Voucher Program – The federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.  GoSection8  Client Services  Moving Forward Initiative  Center For Employment Services (CES) – A Moving Forward initiative of the CHA to promote employment and self-reliance in West Charlotte. According to CHA, one of the largest barriers to employment that clients in its portfolio face is lack of job skills or training. CES focuses on addressing this issue. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership (CMHP), Inc. (The Housing Partnership), Charlotte (HSN) o The Housing Partnership is now a broad-based, private, nonprofit housing development and finance corporation organized to expand affordable and well-maintained housing within stable neighborhoods for low- and moderate-income families in the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County with a continuing interest in the ability of occupants to more fully enter the economic mainstream. o Core Values – RED: Revitalization, Education, Development o The Homeownership Center of Charlotte (HCC)  Homeownership Program – Homeownership education classes, one-on-one advisory sessions, neighborhood empowerment, post-purchase classes and delinquency advisory sessions  HouseCharlotte Program – Down payment assistance for qualified buyers in select "challenged" and "transitioning" neighborhoods and selected "stable" neighborhoods; Pre-purchase homebuyer education  Foreclosure Prevention – Individual advising sessions to assist with curing their mortgage default. Community Link, Charlotte (HSN) o Our Mission: To enable individuals and families to obtain and sustain safe, decent, affordable housing! o Our Vision: To be the premier provider of programs that enable individuals and families to obtain and sustain appropriate housing. o Services:  Homeless to Housing  Assistance finding a rental unit.  Temporary rental subsidy.  Counseling and casework services.  Connections to community resources.  Homeownership  Face-to-face counseling and budget planning.  Education classes.  Tri-merge credit report analysis.  Connections to down payment assistance.  Foreclosure Prevention  Connections to mortgage assistance programs  Budgeting & money management  Credit Reports Habitat for Humanity of Matthews (HFHM), Inc., Matthews o HFHM Mission: By the grace of God, HFHM improves lives by building communities and facilitating successful home ownership with people in need of decent, affordable homes. o HFHM Vision: Witness Christ’s love by advocating and implementing collaborative regional housing solutions that envisage the impact of neighborhood development on our community, state, nation and planet.

September 2013

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o Sustainable Development Initiative o Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative o ReStore Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte, Inc., Charlotte o Vision: A world where everyone has a decent place to live. o Mission: Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. o Programs:  Habitat Young Professionals (HYP)  ReStore  Julia’s Café & Books  Senior Buildup o Green Initiatives:  LEED for Homes  System Vision (by Advanced Energy)  Weatherization – Energy Efficiency Program (EEP)  EverbuildPRO – Provides volunteers with LEED experience Our Towns Habitat for Humanity, Davidson (Mooresville, Cornelius, Huntersville) o Our Vision: To eliminate substandard housing in partnership with our communities. o Our Mission: To put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together in partnership to provide safe, decent and affordable housing solutions for families and communities in need. o Mission Principles:  Demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ  Focus on shelter for homeowners  Advocate for affordable housing  Promote dignity and hope  Support sustainable and innovative development o Programs/Services:  Women Build  Youth United  ReStore – Prevent reusable items from entering the landfill.  Consignment; Salvage Program; Metal Recycling; Chair-ity; ReStore ReStyle  Homeowners in Process (HIP) o OTHFH Partnering Families  Our Towns Habitat for Humanity Partnering Families or HIPS (Homeowners in Process) are required to attend a series of life changing workshops before receiving their new home.  HIP Classes Include:  Introduction to Becoming Financially Fit  Controlling Finances  Credit Cleanse /Protecting my Family  Success on the job  Insurance Matters  Caring for Your Home  Conflict Resolution  Closing/Dedication/Staying Involved Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, Charlotte o Mission: To provide the families of children being treated in area medical facilities with a safe, affordable and caring “home away from home.” We primarily serve families in the Southeast who travel a significant distance to receive specialized medical care at Levine Children’s Hospital and Hemby Children’s Hospital. Salvation Army (HSN)

September 2013

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Slogan: “Doing the Most Good” Mission Statement: The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. o The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte is prepared to meet the needs of our community with 15 centers of service and 5 Family Stores with services ranging from emergency assistance, sheltering, 7 Boys & Girls Clubs, adult rehabilitation and disaster relief. o Local Programs:  Homelessness - The Center of Hope  Shelter Health Services – Free healthcare and health education for homeless women and children  Booth Garden  Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC)  Disaster Services  Christmas Services  Worship  Camp Walter Johnson  Boys & Girls Clubs  Family Stores Supportive Housing Communities, Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “A Place to Live Again.” o Operates McCreesh Place permanent supportive housing. o Mission: Provide affordable housing to alleviate homelessness and human suffering. o Vision: Our vision is to develop and operate permanent supportive housing for men and women overcoming homelessness, especially those with mental illness, substance abuse, and medical or other disabling conditions. o Supportive Housing Communities is part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Homeless Services Network (HSN). Our target population is homeless men with disabilities. Special needs requiring services include: mental illness, physical disabilities, developmental difficulties, chronic substance abuse history, and medical health issues. We do not provide emergency housing. o Our goals are:  To assist residents in obtaining/remaining in permanent housing  To encourage residents to increase skills and/or find employment  To foster self-sufficiency and improve self-image  To support recovery and wellness Urban Ministry Center, Charlotte (HSN) o Our Mission: The Urban Ministry Center is an interfaith organization dedicated to bringing the community together to end homelessness, one life at a time. o The Urban Ministry Center serves as a point of entry to services offered by a network of agencies that work closely to provide necessary opportunities for the homeless population. We are an interfaith agency drawing support and volunteers from more than 130 congregations. o Services Offered:  Basic Services: Soup Kitchen, Mail, Shower, Laundry, Telephone & Mail, Nurse, Dental van, Transportation (to DSS, DMV, SS, and clinics), Counselling, Support Groups  Outreach & Engagement  Permanent Supportive Housing  Temporary Shelter  Enrichment Programs: Art Works, Garden Works, Street Soccer, Voices of Love Choir, Running Works  Substance Abuse Treatment: SABER Treatment Program  Community Education

September 2013

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 Room In The Inn YWCA (HSN) o Slogan: “Eliminating Racism. Empowering Women.” o Our Mission: YWCA Central Carolinas is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. o Our Vision: The YWCA Central Carolinas will be the community's leading nonprofit agency for empowering women, strengthening youth and families and working toward racial justice. o Programs:  Families Together (FT) Program – Transitional housing program for homeless families  Women In Transition (WIT) Program – Safe affordable housing, intensive case management, support services and connections to the web of available community services  Youth Programs – The Youth Program's Tolerance and Prevention Initiative provides weekly workshops to engage at-risk youth in character-building activities that address communication, anger management and conflict resolution.  Sarah Belk Gambrell Fitness Center

Financial Assistance, Goods, & Services for Low-Income/At-Risk Individuals 

Crisis Assistance Ministry, Charlotte (HSN) o Mission: To provide assistance and advocacy for people in financial crisis, helping them move toward self-sufficiency. o Vision: To inspire our community to justice and generosity as we provide help, hope and understanding to people struggling with limited financial resources. o Programs & Services:  Financial Assistance – Housing and Financial Stability  Free Store – Clothing and Household Goods  Furniture Bank  Poverty Simulation  The Benefit Bank

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Goodwill Industries (see Employment Education/Training/Assistance for Homeless/Low-Income Individuals)

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HandsNFeet Foundation, Charlotte o Slogan: “Warming the hands and feet of our neighbors in need” o HandsNFeet Foundation serves to bring added warmth to our neighbors in need throughout the Greater Charlotte region through the distribution of outerwear accessories. It is our vision that we can offer added warmth to thousands of people each year by giving them basic essentials such as a pair of gloves or a pair of socks that will help them to stay warm during the cold winter months and remind them that their community cares about them. The Harvest Center of Charlotte, Inc., Charlotte o Mission: To impact individual lives for change by addressing natural, physical, and spiritual needs, and by providing hope and opportunity for the less fortunate to become productive members of society. A homeless ministry, they also serve several meals per week and provide a food pantry and clothing. They have partnered with Jacobs Ladder and will be offering job readiness classes. o Services:  Counseling services (Southeast Psych)  Education classes  Hot Meals  Housing Support  Job Readiness  Clothing La Coalicion - Latin American Coalition, Charlotte o Our Mission: La Coalición is a community of Latin Americans, immigrants and allies that promotes full and equal participation of all people in the civic, economic and cultural life of North Carolina through education, celebration and advocacy.

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September 2013

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Our Vision: La Coalición envisions a diverse and vibrant North Carolina which embraces, supports and respects people of all cultures and backgrounds. o La Coalición is an immigrant rights organization that is pioneering a model for 21st century democracy building and inclusive community engagement in North Carolina -- a region that has never before experienced such dramatic demographic shifts. We have developed a multifaceted approach to promote justice and equity called Social Service to Social Action, a strategy that traces an intentional path through direct service intervention, integration support, alliance building, institution and systems change – all building toward meaningful culture and policy change. o Programs & Services:  Immigrant Welcome Center  Worker Support Center  Immigration Law Clinic  Citizenship  United 4 The Dream (U4TD)  Cultural Events Legal Aid, Charlotte area (HSN) o Slogan: “Life-Altering Solutions to Critical Legal Issues” o The staff of Legal Aid of North Carolina - Charlotte Office provides legal assistance in civil matters (non-criminal matters) to eligible, low-income clients who have problems with their basic needs and live in the area surrounding Mecklenburg County o Services & Projects:  Battered Immigrant Project (BIP)  Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative (DVPI)  Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention (MFP)  Senior Law Project (SLP) Legal Services of Southern Piedmont (LSSP), Inc., Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “A Full Measure of Justice for Those in Need” o Mission: To assure a full measure of justice for those in need. LSSP provides a wide range of civil legal assistance in civil matters to eligible low-income persons in the Charlotte metropolitan area and west-central NC. LSSP accomplishes its mission through a variety of legal advocacy strategies including individual advice and representation, community education and outreach, representation of groups, self-help remedies, collaboration with other agencies, community economic development, legislative and administrative advocacy, and impact litigation. o Programs & Services:  Family Support and Health Care  Immigrant Justice  Consumer Protection and Employment Law  Legal Services for the Elderly  HIV/AIDS Legal Assistance Project  Veterans Legal Services Project Loaves and Fishes, Inc. (See Healthcare/Nutrition for Low-Income/Homeless Individuals) Love, Inc., Charlotte o Mission Statement: The mission of Love In the Name of Christ is to mobilize believers in Christ to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, elderly and disabled in our community. o Love INC does not seek to replace or duplicate what human service agencies and ministries are doing well, but only to supplement and complement the work of those agencies. o Volunteer Services:  Donate items to Baby Layette Ministry  Help with legal and medical forms  Handicap ramp construction  Safety bar installation  Painting (interior and exterior)

September 2013

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Minor plumbing Minor home repairs Minor electrical repairs (must be licensed) Appliance repair Office volunteer Computer Ministry Telephone Reassurance Ministry Toiletry Pantry Ministry General help with housecleaning, yard work, cleaning gutters, transportation, shopping, grocery delivery  Home visit/needs assessment Matthews HELP Center, Matthews o Slogan: “Helping Ease Local Poverty since 1979” “The House with a Heart” o The Mission: of Matthews HELP Center is to care for those in our community by providing programs and services that will meet life's basic needs and by connecting those in need with resources that improve quality of life. o Our Vision: is to be the central location in our community where help and resources are provided to those in need. The core values practiced daily by all staff state: in everything we do, we will act with respect, compassion and a determination to improve the quality of life for those we serve. o Programs & Services:  Crisis Assistance  Financial Assistance  Food Pantry  Clothing – Backporch Treasures Thrift Boutique  Community Connection  ESL Classes  Health Related Services  Seasonal Programs  Back 2 School Program  BounceBack Backpack Program  Thanksgiving Feast Program  Holiday Adoption Program (gifts, food, etc.) Pennies 4 Hope Project (P4HP), Charlotte o Slogan: “Giving Hope...Promoting Change...Making a Difference!” o Our Vision: Building a safe, healthy and sustainable community one family at a time! o Our Mission: We strive to holistically build stable relationships with marginalized and low income pregnant families; to help transform their lives by inspiring their creativity, their hopes and their dreams and to promote life, liberty and prosperity for all people! o The P4HP is a growing network of caring individuals who continuously make every effort to enhance the lives of pregnant families. We do this through encouragement, education, equipping and empowerment! o Our Pink Diamond Academy is a unique life enrichment approach to leadership development. o The FACETS Program for Pregnant Women provides free workshops in life skills training and development as well as the fundamentals of human rights and responsibilities!  Shower of Blessings – Baby Showers Salvation Army (see Housing for Homless/Low-Income Individuals) SOUL 139, Charlotte o SOUL 139 is a Christian organization whose purpose is to serve others and a make a difference in the lives of our neighbors. We strive to do this by providing free basic hair care services to underprivileged families in the Charlotte area. We serve a variety of needs from all walks of life. SOUL 139 comes from Psalm 139:13-14 and SOUL stands for Strong, Obedient, Unique and Lovely Sow Much Good, Inc. (see Healthcare/Nutrition for Homeless/Low-Income Individuals)

September 2013

Housing Umbrella Organization 

Homeless Services Network (HSN) o Homeless Services Network is a group of agencies united to serve Charlotte's homeless and those who are most vulnerable to homelessness. Our group meets once per month to discuss our common goal of preventing and ending homelessness in Charlotte. Homelessness is a multi-faceted problem. Our belief is that by bringing all our knowledge and expertise together, we have greater hope of achieving our goal than any one of our agencies can achieve alone. o Member Agencies:  Access Family Services  A Child's Place  Carolinas Care (formerly Regional HIV/AIDS Consortium)  Center for Community Transitions  Charlotte Family Housing  Charlotte Housing Authority  Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership  Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools  Charlotte Rescue Mission  City of Charlotte Neighborhood and Business Services  Community Link  Crisis Assistance Ministry  C.W. Williams Community Health Center  Florence Crittenton Services  Friendship Community Development Corporation  Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont  Hope, Hands & Heart Outreach Ministries  Hope Haven  Hope House, Huntersville  Hoskins Park Ministries  Innovative Community Resources  Jacob's Ladder  Legal Aid of North Carolina, Charlotte  Legal Services of Southern Piedmont  Lutheran Family Services  Mecklenburg County Area Mental Health  Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services  Mecklenburg County Community Support Services/Homeless Support Services  Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation  Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office/Jail  Men's Shelter of Charlotte  NeXus Church  The Relatives  Supportive Housing Communities  Shelter Health Services  Theophilos III (IDO) Ministries  The Salvation Army  Samaritan House  To Serve with Love  United Family Services (Safe Alliance)  United Way of Central Carolinas

September 2013

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Urban Ministry Center YWCA of Central Carolinas

Emergency Shelters 

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The Hope House Foundation, Huntersville (HSN) o Slogan: “Giving Hope, Changing Lives” o Our Mission: To provide transitional housing and supportive services to women and children who are experiencing homelessness in the Lake Norman area in order for them to procure long-term housing and self-sufficiency. o Our Vision: To serve as a catalyst for social change to end homelessness in the Lake Norman area by providing and expanding its transitional housing and supportive services to include families as they transform their lives into self-sufficiency. Men’s Shelter of Charlotte, Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “30 Years of Helping Homeless Men.” o Mission: The Men's Shelter is dedicated to providing safe emergency shelter while working to end homelessness for each man. o Vision: Our vision is to serve as the catalyst for systemic change to end homelessness in our community. o MSC’s Service Components:  Emergency Shelter - Basic Needs  Prevention & Outreach  Supportive Services  Continuing Care  care to being an independent adult due to unmet education, employment, or social needs. Safe Alliance (formerly United Family Services), Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “Where Hope and Healing Begin.” o Strategic Plan: Focused on building a continuum of shelter, advocacy, legal and counseling services to empower those struggling with domestic and sexual violence, child abuse and emotional trauma. o Our Mission is to provide hope and healing for people in crisis. We do this through a variety of programs and services:  Safety Planning – Domestic Violence  Shelter – Domestic Violence  Rape Crisis Services  Court Advocacy/Accompaniment & Legal Representation  Photographic Injury Documentation  Counseling  Support Groups – Sexual Assault/Rape and Domestic Violence  Tree House Children’s Advocacy Center  Program for Incarcerated Women  Crime Victims Compensation  Referrals & Case Management  Employee Assistance Program  Education & Systems Advocacy Salvation Army (HSN) o Slogan: “Doing the Most Good” o Mission Statement: The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. o The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte is prepared to meet the needs of our community with 15 centers of service and 5 Family Stores with services ranging from emergency assistance, sheltering, 7 Boys & Girls Clubs, adult rehabilitation and disaster relief. o Local Programs:

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Homelessness - The Center of Hope  Shelter Health Services – Free healthcare and health education for homeless women and children  Booth Garden  Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC)  Disaster Services  Christmas Services  Worship  Camp Walter Johnson  Boys & Girls Clubs  Family Stores Urban Ministry Center, Charlotte (HSN) o Our Mission: The Urban Ministry Center is an interfaith organization dedicated to bringing the community together to end homelessness, one life at a time. o The Urban Ministry Center serves as a point of entry to services offered by a network of agencies that work closely to provide necessary opportunities for the homeless population. We are an interfaith agency drawing support and volunteers from more than 130 congregations. o Services Offered:  Basic Services: Soup Kitchen, Mail, Shower, Laundry, Telephone & Mail, Nurse, Dental van, Transportation (to DSS, DMV, SS, and clinics), Counselling, Support Groups  Outreach & Engagement  Permanent Supportive Housing  Temporary Shelter  Enrichment Programs: Art Works, Garden Works, Street Soccer, Voices of Love Choir, Running Works  Substance Abuse Treatment: SABER Treatment Program  Community Education  Room In The Inn YWCA (HSN) o Slogan: “Eliminating Racism. Empowering Women.” o Our Mission: YWCA Central Carolinas is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. o Our Vision: The YWCA Central Carolinas will be the community's leading nonprofit agency for empowering women, strengthening youth and families and working toward racial justice. o Programs:  Families Together (FT) Program – Transitional housing program for homeless families  Women In Transition (WIT) Program – Safe affordable housing, intensive case management, support services and connections to the web of available community services  Youth Programs – The Youth Program's Tolerance and Prevention Initiative provides weekly workshops to engage at-risk youth in character-building activities that address communication, anger management and conflict resolution.  Sarah Belk Gambrell Fitness Center

Youth 

Alexander Youth Network, Charlotte o Slogan: “Empowering kids and families to recover from severe emotional and behavioral challenges.” o Alexander Youth Network provides quality professional treatment to children with serious emotional and behavioral problems. Alexander has combined a variety of treatment programs into a complete Service Array; a series of programs that work together from start to finish. As a child grows and improves, we can offer the stability of customized treatment to keep intact his safety net of friends and the professionals he has grown to trust. o Our Services:  Diagnostic Assessment

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 Outpatient Therapy  Multi-Systemic Therapy  Day Treatment  Rapid Response Homes  Therapeutic Foster Care  Intensive In-Home  Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility  The Relatives Crisis Shelter Children’s Home Society of North Carolina o Our Mission: To promote the right of every child to a permanent, safe and loving family. o Our Vision: To be a leader in transforming families and communities so children can thrive. o CHS has one of the most comprehensive and seamless offerings of child welfare and family support services in the state – providing programs in parenting education, family preservation, teen pregnancy prevention, foster care, and adoption - all from one agency. Specific CHS initiatives include working to prevent teen pregnancy, providing education and support for parents having difficulty maintaining a stable family setting for their children, and supporting the efforts of public social services agencies to preserve families. When a child’s birth parents are unable to provide a safe, positive family environment, CHS finds safe shelter for those children through foster care and adoption. o Programs:  Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Educational Support  Parent Education  Parent Support Services  Intensive Family Preservation and Reunification Services  Foster Care  Family Finding  Birth Parent Counseling for Unplanned Pregnancies  Child Specific Adoption Recruitment  Adoption Matching and Placement Services  Contract Adoption Support Services  Clinical & Post Adoption Support  Mental Health Services  Family Support & Self Sufficiency Programs Elon Homes & Schools for Children, Charlotte o Slogan: “Safe Haven. Life Skills. Education.” o Elon Homes and Schools for Children has a rich and proud heritage in the field of child development and services. We care for children from a variety of backgrounds and with a wide range of needs, strengths, hopes and dreams. o Our Mission is to provide safe haven, life skills and education to the children in our care. We serve our mission through three primary programs:  Community-Based Foster Care  Kids Central of the Carolinas Behavioral and Mental Health Services  Kennedy Charter Public School The Relatives, Charlotte (Alexander Youth Network) (HSN) o Slogan: “Keeping Kids Safe & Families Together.” o Mission Statement: The Relatives, Inc. provides temporary shelter and counseling services to runaway, homeless and other youth in crisis. The chief goal of the program is to keep kids safe and families together. (Mission Statement from: GuideStar.org) o Services offered:  Youth Crisis Center – A safe location for youth 7-17 who have run away from home, are homeless, or just going through a rough family situation with nowhere else to turn.  24-hour Crisis Hotline

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 Walk-In Crisis Support  Aftercare Services  Parenting Support On Ramp – A Resource Center for any young adult 16-24 years old in Mecklenburg County who may need help making the successful evolution from youth to being an independent adult  Intensive Case Management  Futures Planning Journey Place – A program for young adults males 18-21 who are aging our of foster care and need assistance making the transition from foster

Affordable Housing, Housing Incentives, Financial Assistance, & Foreclosure Prevention 

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Charlotte Family Housing (CFH), Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “Working to solve family homelessness.” o Charlotte Family Housing is a shelter-to-housing program for homeless families. o Program Areas:  Shelter-to-Housing Placement with a Rental Subsidy  Clinical Family Social Work  Vocational Counseling  Volunteer Engagement  Empowerment and Accountability – Interest-free microloans Charlotte Housing Authority, Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “Building Community, People, & Partnerships” o Mission: To lead, develop, and execute community-wide strategies that meet the broad range of housing needs for families who cannot otherwise attain conventional housing. o Vision: Creating Community, Empowering Families, and Building Partnerships o Strategic Business Areas:  Finance and Administration  Operations  Real Estate Development o Strategic Goals:  Provide the greatest number of viable and affordable housing solutions from homelessness to permanent housing through sustainable strategic partnership  Maximize economic, physical, and social value of CHA real estate portfolio.  Ensure the Authority's long-term financial viability  Provide the high quality, most cost effective real estate management services which exceed HUD and industry standards.  Create an environment that facilitates the development of client families to reach their highest potential. o Programs:  Mixed-Income Housing (HUD’s HOPE IV Program and Tax Credits are used to help finance)  Assisted (Low-Income) Housing  Housing Choice Voucher Program – The federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.  GoSection8  Client Services  Moving Forward Initiative  Center For Employment Services (CES) – A Moving Forward initiative of the CHA to promote employment and self-reliance in West Charlotte. According to CHA, one of the largest barriers to employment that clients in its portfolio face is lack of job skills or training. CES focuses on addressing this issue. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership (CMHP), Inc. (The Housing Partnership), Charlotte (HSN)

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The Housing Partnership is now a broad-based, private, nonprofit housing development and finance corporation organized to expand affordable and well-maintained housing within stable neighborhoods for low- and moderate-income families in the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County with a continuing interest in the ability of occupants to more fully enter the economic mainstream. o Core Values – RED: Revitalization, Education, Development o The Homeownership Center of Charlotte (HCC)  Homeownership Program – Homeownership education classes, one-on-one advisory sessions, neighborhood empowerment, post-purchase classes and delinquency advisory sessions  HouseCharlotte Program – Down payment assistance for qualified buyers in select "challenged" and "transitioning" neighborhoods and selected "stable" neighborhoods; Pre-purchase homebuyer education  Foreclosure Prevention – Individual advising sessions to assist with curing their mortgage default. Community Link, Charlotte (HSN) o Our Mission: To enable individuals and families to obtain and sustain safe, decent, affordable housing! o Our Vision: To be the premier provider of programs that enable individuals and families to obtain and sustain appropriate housing. o Services:  Homeless to Housing  Assistance finding a rental unit.  Temporary rental subsidy.  Counseling and casework services.  Connections to community resources.  Homeownership  Face-to-face counseling and budget planning.  Education classes.  Tri-merge credit report analysis.  Connections to down payment assistance.  Foreclosure Prevention  Connections to mortgage assistance programs  Budgeting & money management  Credit Reports Habitat for Humanity of Matthews (HFHM), Inc., Matthews o HFHM Mission: By the grace of God, HFHM improves lives by building communities and facilitating successful home ownership with people in need of decent, affordable homes. o HFHM Vision: Witness Christ’s love by advocating and implementing collaborative regional housing solutions that envisage the impact of neighborhood development on our community, state, nation and planet. o Sustainable Development Initiative o Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative o ReStore Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte, Inc., Charlotte o Vision: A world where everyone has a decent place to live. o Mission: Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. o Programs:  Habitat Young Professionals (HYP)  ReStore  Julia’s Café & Books  Senior Buildup o Green Initiatives:

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 LEED for Homes  System Vision (by Advanced Energy)  Weatherization – Energy Efficiency Program (EEP)  EverbuildPRO – Provides volunteers with LEED experience Our Towns Habitat for Humanity, Davidson (Mooresville, Cornelius, Huntersville) o Our Vision: To eliminate substandard housing in partnership with our communities. o Our Mission: To put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together in partnership to provide safe, decent and affordable housing solutions for families and communities in need. o Mission Principles:  Demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ  Focus on shelter for homeowners  Advocate for affordable housing  Promote dignity and hope  Support sustainable and innovative development o Programs/Services:  Women Build  Youth United  ReStore – Prevent reusable items from entering the landfill.  Consignment; Salvage Program; Metal Recycling; Chair-ity; ReStore ReStyle  Homeowners in Process (HIP) o OTHFH Partnering Families  Our Towns Habitat for Humanity Partnering Families or HIPS (Homeowners in Process) are required to attend a series of life changing workshops before receiving their new home.  HIP Classes Include:  Introduction to Becoming Financially Fit  Controlling Finances  Credit Cleanse /Protecting my Family  Success on the job  Insurance Matters  Caring for Your Home  Conflict Resolution  Closing/Dedication/Staying Involved Supportive Housing Communities (see Health and Housing [Special Needs]) Urban Ministry Center (see Emergency Shelters) YWCA (see Emergency Shelters)

Health and Housing [Special Needs] 

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Slogan: “Changing Lives by God’s Grace” Mission Statement: To minister the Good News of Christianity to individuals caught in the crisis of poverty, hopelessness, or addictions by meeting their spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. o Rebound: A half-way house for men struggling with addiction. o Dove’s Nest: A half-way house for women and mothers struggling with addition. Hope Haven Foundation, Inc., Charlotte (HSN) o Our Mission: Hope Haven Inc., a foundation of recovery, provides life skills for chemically dependent adults and families within a supportive residential environment leading to independence. o The focus is mostly on women (with children) recovering from substance abuse. o Services:  Clinical Services  Vocational Training  Resident Services  Catering Service Hospitality House of Charlotte, Charlotte o Our Mission: Sheltering out of town families in medical crisis since 1985. o Hospitality House of Charlotte provides shelter to out-of-town families while their loved ones receive treatment at nearby hospitals. Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, Charlotte o Mission: To provide the families of children being treated in area medical facilities with a safe, affordable and caring “home away from home.” We primarily serve families in the Southeast who travel a significant distance to receive specialized medical care at Levine Children’s Hospital and Hemby Children’s Hospital. Supportive Housing Communities, Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “A Place to Live Again.” o Operates McCreesh Place permanent supportive housing. o Mission: Provide affordable housing to alleviate homelessness and human suffering. o Vision: Our vision is to develop and operate permanent supportive housing for men and women overcoming homelessness, especially those with mental illness, substance abuse, and medical or other disabling conditions. o Supportive Housing Communities is part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Homeless Services Network (HSN). Our target population is homeless men with disabilities. Special needs requiring services include: mental illness, physical disabilities, developmental difficulties, chronic substance abuse history, and medical health issues. We do not provide emergency housing. o Our goals are:  To assist residents in obtaining/remaining in permanent housing  To encourage residents to increase skills and/or find employment  To foster self-sufficiency and improve self-image  To support recovery and wellness

Transportation 

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B-Cycle o Charlotte bike share in and near uptown o Bike sharing is a great amenity for our urban place; making it economical and convenient to use bikes for trips that are too far to walk but too short to drive. It keeps cars parked while extending and balancing our transit system. Charlotte Center City Partners o Center City 2020 Vision Plan: a framework for future development in the Urban Core o Annual “State of the Center City Report” o Our vision is for Charlotte’s Center City to be viable, livable, memorable, and sustainable, with modern infrastructure, a tapestry of unique neighborhoods, and a diversity of thriving businesses. We

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envision and implement strategies and actions to drive the economic, social and cultural development of Charlotte’s Center City. The vision is the continuation of the growth of our city as pedestrian-friendly and walkable, with comfortable and interesting neighborhoods. It must have mixed growth, with balanced initiatives that are leveraged by public and private investment. o Initiatives:  Rail Trail Vision  Romare Bearden Park  BB&T Ballpark – Home of the Charlotte Knights  Lynx Blue Line Extension  Charlotte Streetcar Starter Line  Charlotte Gateway Station Clean Air Carolina, Charlotte o Our Vision: We envision a future in which residents understand the connection between clean air and physical health and are working to ensure North Carolina’s air quality meets or exceeds science-based air quality standards that protect public, environmental and economic health. o Programs:  Beyond Fossil Fuels  Clean Air for Kids!  Ozone Gardens  Medical Advocates for Clean Air  NC Clean Diesel  Transportation o Brochure Disability Rights & Resources, Charlotte o We are an advocacy-based, consumer-controlled, community-embedded center that advocates with and serves as mentors for people with disabilities. (The Independent Living philosophy is central to their mission.) o Core Services:  Advocacy  Peer Mentoring  Independent Living Skills  Information & Referral  My Home, My Choice o Additional Programs & Services:  Workshops  Speakers  Disability Awareness Training  Transportation Resources  Audio Description Envision Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “Uniting for a Sustainable City” o Mission:  Model Programs  Detailed Measurements  Regional Strengths o Vision: Envision Charlotte is a unique public-private collaboration that will be a global model of environmental sustainability for measurable community and economic results. o Programs:  Smart Energy Now Program  Smart Water Now Program  Smart Waste Now Program  Smart Air Now Program

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UNC Charlotte Urban Institute o The Institute is one of the nonpartisan applied research and community outreach centers of UNC Charlotte. Founded in 1969, the Institute provides a wide range of services, including technical assistance and training related to operations and data management; public opinion surveys; land-use and natural resources consulting; economic development research and community planning to meet the needs of the Charlotte region and its citizens. The Institute is part of UNC Charlotte's Metropolitan Studies and Extended Academic Programs (MSExAP), which oversees a number of the University's premier community engagement initiatives. o Our Mission: To seek solutions to the social, economic and environmental challenges facing our communities. o Focus: Economy, Environment, Social Well-Being o Programs:  PlanCharlotte.org  Institute for Social Capital, Inc. (See below)  Charlotte Regional Indicators Project  Charlotte Regional Indicators Project Partners  Renaissance Computing Institute, UNCC  Charlotte Mecklenburg Annual Survey  Transportation Information Management System  Center for Transportation Policy Studies  Charlotte Business Confidence Index o Institute for Social Capital, Inc.  Its mission is to provide social resources that advance University research and increase the community’s capacity for data-based planning and evaluation. At its core is a comprehensive set of social and human data gathered from several public and nonprofit organizations in the region.  By combining key sources of data into one community database, ISC provides a valuable resource to assess the impact of specific interventions across agency lines and to better understand the social and environmental variables that affect the community, particularly with regard to outcomes for children and families.

Education & Youth Umbrella Organization 

Youth Education 

A Child’s Place (HSN) o Slogan: “Working to erase the impact of homelessness on children and their education.” o Missions Statement (from GuideStar.org): Support from A Child’s Place means homeless children are enrolled in school, wear appropriate clothing and shoes, get needed medical care, receive the attention of a caring tutor or lunch buddy, and carry the same school supplies as the other kids. These and other services provided by ACP allow homeless children to focus on their homework and

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learning, not on feeling alienated and being left behind in their schoolwork. A Child’s Place is the only CMS partner working specifically with homeless students, earning the support and praise of past Superintendent Peter Gorman, interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh, and Senior CMS administrators. o Student Services:  Academic Support – ACP provides tutoring, lunch buddies, school supplies, back packs and field trip funds for all client children.  Student Support – Weekly small group sessions; weekly/daily snack bags; new clothing/uniforms  My Place – Summer Camp  Child Advocacy o Parent Services:  We provide referrals to community resources for food, housing, job training and any other needs to help during a housing crisis.  Family Advocacy ASPIRA of North Carolina, Charlotte o ASPIRA of North Carolina (ASPIRA NC), is a not-for-profit community based organization serving Latino/Hispanic youth and their families across the Carolinas. o Mission: To empower disenfranchised youth and their families to take responsibility for themselves and their community through programs and services that promote positive social and civic values; to create opportunities for self-improvement through academic instruction, employability training, community service, and to implement intervention strategies to foster family stabilization and neighborhood preservation. Bethlehem Center of Charlotte (See Low-Income/At-Risk Youth) Child Care Resources, Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Early Learning Matters” o Mission & Overview of Services:  Child Care Resources Inc. is a private, non-profit child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agency that works with families and communities to ensure that all children have access to high quality, affordable early learning and school-age opportunities and experiences that enable them to succeed in school and in life.  Our centers of expertise include:  Family Information Services  Program and Business Consultation  Financial Aid  Research and Policy Development o Programs & Services:  Financial Aid Programs  Transition to Kindergarten – …Ready, Set Go! Video  The Traveling Family and Teacher Resource Center (TFTRC)  Professional Development and Training  Region 6 CCR&R Services:  Healthy Social Behaviors Initiative  Infant-Toddler Quality Enhancement Initiative  School-Age Quality Improvement Initiative Community In Schools (CIS), Charlotte-Mecklenburg o Our Missions: Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc. is an affiliate of the national Communities In Schools network, the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization. The mission of Communities In Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. We are committed to helping students achieve success in school and continue their education in college or other post-secondary training. As a result, our youth will be better equipped to find meaningful employment, lead productive, gratifying lives, and become contributing members of our society.

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CIS-Charlotte currently provides services to selected Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Current Programming Includes:  School-Based Dropout Prevention  College Access & Career Readiness  Support for teen mothers balancing the challenges of childcare and high school graduation  working with youthful offenders to continue their education Community School of the Arts, Charlotte o The School now concentrates on instruction in music and the visual arts, offering private and group music lessons, visual arts classes and workshops, summer camps, pottery classes and early childhood arts education. And, as it has every year since its founding, Community School of the Arts teaches extensively in low-income neighborhoods and provides significant student financial assistance, honoring its founding mission and the belief that outstanding arts education should be available to all. o Programs:  Music  Art  Summer Camp  Scholarships and Financial Aid  ArtReach and Programs for Schools Elon Homes & Schools for Children, Charlotte o Slogan: “Safe Haven. Life Skills. Education.” o Elon Homes and Schools for Children has a rich and proud heritage in the field of child development and services. We care for children from a variety of backgrounds and with a wide range of needs, strengths, hopes and dreams. o Our Mission is to provide safe haven, life skills and education to the children in our care. We serve our mission through three primary programs:  Community-Based Foster Care  Kids Central of the Carolinas Behavioral and Mental Health Services  Kennedy Charter Public School Freedom School Partners (formerly Seigle Avenue Partners), Charlotte o Vision: Freedom School for every child who needs one. o Mission: Engage, educate and empower children to succeed in school and in life through quality, year-round educational enrichment programs. o History: Freedom School Partners is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides quality summer Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® programs for students in grades K-8 living in Charlotte’s inner-city neighborhoods. GenerationNation (formerly Kids Voting Mecklenburg), Charlotte o Smart, fun, engaging programs tied to Common Core and other educational goals connect the classroom with hands-on civics and leadership experiences to help students in school (civics, history, reading, writing and more), build civic literacy and develop young people as productive citizens and effective leaders. o Programs:  Kids Voting Election  K-12 Civic Education – Civics in Action  Youth Civics  Youth Voice Leadership Alliance I AM not the MEdia, Charlotte o Slogan: “Strengthening Minds & Empowering Teens Through Media Literacy” o The Mission: To empower teens and young adults (ages 13-19) to become better conscious viewers of the media, critical decision makers, and to embrace their individuality and uniqueness.

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The Vision: By educating teens and young adults on the negative influences of the media, the importance of positive decision making, and inspiring all to embrace their own individuality; a movement of self-discovery, empowerment, and pride is sparked. o Programs:  Outreach Programs  Teen Faces Program  The Teen Circuit Program  The College Internship Program Junior Achievement (JA) of the Central Carolinas, Charlotte based o Our Mission: Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas seeks to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy, with an end result of empowering them to own their economic success. o Who We Are: Junior Achievement is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. Junior Achievement’s programs—in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy—ignite the spark in young people to experience and realize the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century. o Programs:  JA Classroom Programs ®  JA BizTown (presented by Snyder’s-Lance) – The program combines in-class learning with a daylong visit to this fully-interactive simulated town facility.  JA Summer BizCamp ®  JA Finance Park – A personal finance curriculum, designed for middle to upper-grades students, through which students learn about financial institutions, saving, investing, spending, earning a paycheck, taxes, budgeting, debt and interest, careers and more. ®  JA Job Shadow KIPP Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “Building a Better Tomorrow.” “Service. Excellence. Integrity. Passion. Courage. Leadership.” “Work Hard. Be Good. Think.” o KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) Charlotte is a free, open-enrollment, college preparatory public school serving 360 students in grades 5-8. KIPP Charlotte serves communities that are traditionally underserved and marginalized in education. o Mission: To prepare all of our students to excel in the nation’s finest high schools and colleges by cultivating the habits of mind, character skills, and knowledge necessary for their success. We provide an education that will enable our students to lead full lives and empower our graduates to be the future leaders of Charlotte and agents of change in the world beyond. o KIPP Parent Alliance Team (KPAT) The Learning Collaborative (TLC), Charlotte o Slogan: “Nurturing Young Hearts and Minds” o Our Mission: The Learning Collaborative (TLC) provides a tuition free, high quality preschool education to at-risk families through a unique partnership with our children, families, parents, staff and community. o Our Vision: Our vision is that children and parents working together can overcome at-risk beginnings through an early educational intervention, paving the way for success in kindergarten and beyond, inspiring a love of learning, confidence in themselves and hope for their futures. o Programs:  Pre-K School Readiness  Family School Readiness  Parent Classes MeckEd, Charlotte o Mission: To inform and engage the community around the critical issues facing public education and to ensure students graduate high school college- or career-ready. o Programs:

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 MeckTech Career Pathways – Offering internships to high school students.  STEMersion Playing for Others (PFO), Charlotte o Playing for Others (PFO) is a nationally unique nonprofit that encourages teens to become strong leaders who are passionate about inclusion and diversity, and who understand what it takes to run a philanthropic organization that can create change. o Playing for Others (PFO) empowers teens to make a significant difference with their lives…for the rest of their lives. o Three Program Components:  Leadership Training – Teens learn about philanthropy and non-profit leadership  Arts – Teens work with professionals and peers to create a art piece/performance and the participate in Arts Weekend  Buddy Program – Teens become buddies with a child with special needs Project L.I.F.T. o Leadership and Investment for Transformation (L.I.F.T.) o Project L.I.F.T. is a philanthropic initiative composed of leaders from Charlotte’s largest community and family foundations. Project L.I.F.T. aims to accelerate the improvement of academic outcomes for children in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools West Charlotte Corridor.  Belk Foundation, Foundation For The Carolinas, Wells Fargo Foundation, Duke Energy Foundation, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, C.D. Spangler Foundation, Leon Levine Foundation. Safe Kids Charlotte Mecklenburg, Charlotte o Slogan: “Preventing Injury One Child at a Time.” o Offers safety tips including: Child Passenger Safety, Water Safety, Poison/Drug Safety, Fire/Burn Safety, Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety. The Charlotte Fire Department leads this effort. o Safety Information/Resources:  Child Passenger Safety  Water Safety  Poison/Drug Safety  Fire/Burn Safety  Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety Urban League of the Central Carolinas (see Education for Employment) Youth Development Initiatives, Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Maximizing Potential in Youth & Youth Serving Organizations!” o Youth Development Initiatives Inc. seeks to maximize the potential in underprivileged, at-risk youth and the agencies that work with them by devising curriculum and training modules that establish effective guidance courses, after school and mentoring programs, and summer enrichment initiatives founded on research and widely recognized best practices. YDI program designs and curriculum encourages students to stay in school, develop personal action plans, serve their community, and develop the job-readiness skills necessary to compete in an ever-changing, 21st Century global marketplace o LIFT Academy (LIFT – Lifeskills Instructions For Teens): an afterschool program for at-risk youth ages 14-18. LIFT participants are referred to the program by juvenile court counselors, school resource officers, or guidance counselors because of adjudications, behavioral issues, and/or low academic performance. Participants receive tutoring/homework assistance, life skills training, career/college planning, and job skills preparation to help them stay in school, improve their grades, miss fewer days in school, and improve their overall decision making. o LIFT Youth Employment Services: During the summer, youth workers earn stipends while working approximately 25 hours per week for approximately nine weeks in jobs that ideally offer work experiences closely related to their chosen career fields. o LIFT Adult Mentoring Program (LAMP): Parents and volunteers in the LIFT Adult Mentoring Program (LAMP) undergo 2 .5 - 3 hours of training to learn how to confidently and cooperatively engage

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mentees in a relationship that leads toward achieving specific, tangible goals that have measurable outcomes and pre-set benchmarks. o Life Management Guidance Course: A comprehensive curriculum that steers youth through a personalized development process to identify what they want in life, devise a personal plan of action to reach their goals, and undergo life skills lessons, activities, and experiences that connect what they are learning in the classroom to real life.  Training Modules: Life Skills, Career Research, Entrepreneurship, Personal Economics, Job Readiness, Community Service The YMCA (see Health Education)

Health Education 

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Charlotte Community Health Clinic, Charlotte o Mission: To provide acute, episodic and chronic disease medical care to uninsured, low-income residents of Mecklenburg County who lack access to care. This service is provided through a culturally diverse, volunteer-based organization with emphasis on education, training and community outreach. o Vision: To improve the health of uninsured residents of Mecklenburg County by providing quality care in a free health clinic setting. o Care Services:  Primary Care  Children’s Care  Chronic Disease Care  Women’s Care  Health Education Children’s Home Society of North Carolina o Our Mission: To promote the right of every child to a permanent, safe and loving family. o Our Vision: To be a leader in transforming families and communities so children can thrive. o CHS has one of the most comprehensive and seamless offerings of child welfare and family support services in the state – providing programs in parenting education, family preservation, teen pregnancy prevention, foster care, and adoption - all from one agency. Specific CHS initiatives include working to prevent teen pregnancy, providing education and support for parents having difficulty maintaining a stable family setting for their children, and supporting the efforts of public social services agencies to preserve families. When a child’s birth parents are unable to provide a safe, positive family environment, CHS finds safe shelter for those children through foster care and adoption. o Programs:  Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Educational Support  Parent Education  Parent Support Services  Intensive Family Preservation and Reunification Services  Foster Care  Family Finding  Birth Parent Counseling for Unplanned Pregnancies  Child Specific Adoption Recruitment  Adoption Matching and Placement Services  Contract Adoption Support Services  Clinical & Post Adoption Support  Mental Health Services  Family Support & Self Sufficiency Programs Florence Crittenton Services (HSN) o Slogan: “Health and Hope for Tomorrow’s Children.” o Our Mission: To promote health and hope for tomorrow’s children by providing comprehensive health, education and social services.

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Programs for Pregnant, Non-Pregnant, and At-Risk Girls and Women:  Comprehensive medical and prenatal care  Social, educational, adoption and parenting support services  Substance abuse intervention, treatment and prevention o Services for at-risk or pregnant adolescents and women and their families:  Health Care and Prenatal Care  Education  Parenting Skills  Early Childhood Development Education  Life Skills (such as money and time management)  Scholarships  Group/Individual Counseling  Family Planning  Career Services  Healthy Relationship Curriculum  Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention  Sarah’s House Mother/Child Program  Legacy Hall – An independent living skills program  Maternity Program  Prenatal Parenting Education Program (PPEP) Girls on the Run, Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties o Slogan: “Inspiring Girls to be Joyful, Healthy, & Confident.” o Our Mission: We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. o The Program: Girls on the Run® is a 501(c)3 positive youth development program which combines an interactive curriculum and running to inspire self-respect and healthy lifestyles in pre-teen girls. Our core curriculum addresses many aspects of girls’ development – their physical, emotional, mental and social well-being. Lessons provide girls with the tools to make positive decisions and to avoid risky adolescent behaviors. Junior League of Charlotte (JLC), Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Making a Difference Since 1926” o Mission Statement: The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, to developing the potential of women and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. o Reaching Out Statement: The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. and The Association of Junior Leagues International reach out to women of all races, religions and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism. o Vision Statement: The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. will be a leading force in improving the lives of children and families in this community. o Programs:  JLC Healthy Child and Family Initiative – Focusing on mental, dental, and physical health  Kids HealthLink  Go Kids Go!  JLC Advocacy  Kids in the Kitchen  You Are What You Eat Game Let Me Run, Charlotte o Let Me Run is a FUN, 7 week program for boys in grades 4th through middle school and is facilitated by trained coaches from your community. The program meets twice a week for about an hour and boys learn about building healthy relationships through a myriad of FUN activities that also improve

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personal strength, endurance and overall wellness. Let Me Run culminates when the boys run a 5k road race and celebrate their new friendships. o Summer Camp Teen Health Connection, Charlotte o We are a non-profit healthcare practice that provides a safe, family-centered environment for adolescents ages 11 to 22, to receive medical and mental healthcare services along with health education. Teen Health Connection is a patient-centered medical home providing coordinated and unique quality healthcare to all patients. We believe in education and advocacy at every opportunity. We believe that parents and the community have ownership in assuring safe passage from adolescence to adulthood. We believe that every adolescent deserves opportunities to be successful. o Mission: To improve the health of adolescents by providing physical and mental healthcare, education, advocacy and research through connections with teens, parents and the community. o Vision: Every adolescent empowered to be healthy, safe and successful. o Services:  Medical  Mental Health  Center for Disordered Eating  Health Education  Programs: Art Therapy, Girls Educated and Motivated for Success (GEMS), Johnston Ziegler Scholership, Love & Logic Parenting Class, Teen Advisory Board The YMCA of Greater Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “For Youth Development. For Healthy Living. For Social Responsibilities.” o Our Mission: To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. o Our Vision: To connect and engage people to enhance lives and build community. o Our Focus:  For Youth Development: Nurturing the potential of every child and teen  Child Care; Y Readers; Y Achievers; Youth Sports; Swim Lessons; Summer Camp  For Healthy Living: Improving the nation's health and well-being  Programs: Y Guides; Cancer Wellness; Corporate Wellness; Diabetes Prevention; Health Coaching; Nutrition 101; Lifestyle Management & Medical Referral; etc.  Adult Sport Leagues; Life-long Learning; Spiritual Development  For Social Responsibility: Giving back and providing support to our neighbors  Social Services: Y Readers; Y Achievers; Parents as Teachers; Getting Ahead; Safe Place; Military Initiative; Children with Autism; etc.  Health Advocacy

Health/Mental Health Programs and Services for Youth  

Children’s Home Society of North Carolina (see Health Education) Jewish Family Services of Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “The heart of our community” o JFS Mission: Jewish Family Services strengthens and empowers individuals and families through professional counseling, programs and services inspired by Jewish values. o JFS Vision: Jewish Family Services will be recognized within the community as the preferred social services resource center and provider of high-quality professional services, enabling our clients to adapt to change, cope with challenge and lead fulfilled lives. o Services:  Counseling & Therapy – Therapy, Support Groups, Domestic Violence  Family Connection Geriatric Care Management Program (“Family Connections Program”)  Children & Youth Services  Senior Services – Senior Outreach, Family Connections, Family Consultations, Information & Referral  Emergency Assistance & Case Management

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KinderMourn, Charlotte o Slogan: “When a Child Dies…When a Child Grieves…There is HELP…There is HOPE.” o Mission: KinderMourn provides hope for bereaved parents, grieving children and teens by offering support and counseling programs, creating awareness of bereavement issues and empowering the community to effectively assist those who have suffered an unthinkable loss. o At KinderMourn, bereaved parents and children have the opportunity to participate in support groups and other counseling programs where they find encouragement and healthy coping skills for dealing with grief. o Programs & Services:  Grieving Parents  Grieving Children & Teens  Empty Arms  School and Outreach Programs  Bereaved Parent Support Group  Workshops  Individual Counseling  Professional Training & Community Education Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western North Carolina, Inc., Charlotte o Mission: To grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center o As the only child advocacy center in Mecklenburg County serving children from birth to age 18, Pat's Place provides a physical environment where a child's well-being is our first priority, reducing trauma and promoting healing from sexual abuse. o Program Services:  Family Advocacy  Forensic Interviewing  Medical Evaluation  Multidisciplinary Team Investigations (MDT)  Community Outreach The Sandbox, Charlotte o Slogan: “Get Your Believe On!” “Locking Arms to Support Children with Cancer.” o The Sandbox locks arms with the community to walk with families whose children have cancer or lifealtering illnesses. Our goal is to help patients and their families during the most tumultuous times of their lives so they can focus on the most important factors: Believing and Healing. o Programs and Services:  Prom  Holidays and Occasions  Critical Family Needs

Low-Income/At-Risk Youth Programs & Services 

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 Rapid Response Homes  Therapeutic Foster Care  Intensive In-Home  Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility  The Relatives Crisis Shelter Bethlehem Center of Charlotte, Charlotte o Mission: To provide educational opportunities for low-income children and families to improve the quality of their lives. o Vision: A faith-based organization partnering with our community to educate, transform, and inspire fulfilled lives by embodying the love of Jesus Christ. o Programs:  Bethlehem Center Freedom School (In collaboration with the Freedom School Partners) – Aimed to stop the inertia of summer learning loss.  Early Childhood Development –low-income or disabled pre-school age children  School Age Enrichment  Teen Programs – Girl Power, Boys to Manhood  After-School Enrichment Program  Summer Day Camp ( In collaboration with the Freedom School Partners)  Resident Camp  Prevention Ministries  All Stars: Drug, gang and alcohol prevention/education series  College Scholarship Fund  Community Outreach  “Stuff the Bus with School Supplies,”  Holiday Sharing: “Blessing Bags;” “Star of Bethlehem;” and Loaves and Fishes Referrals  Mecklenburg InterAgency Forum  360 Degrees of Fatherhood – Monthly parenting classes to engage fathers with their children  Senior Programs – Development programs including those for the visually impaired Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte, Charlotte o The region's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, o Mission: To provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported oneto-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. o BBBSGC effectively improves the lives of youth and deeply engages communities through involvement with families, mentors, community funders, schools and other partners. Our proven methodology for serving children through one-to-one mentoring relationships produces measurable positive outcomes in the areas of:  Educational success  Avoidance of risky behaviors  Socio-economic competence. o Programs:  African-American Mentoring  Hispanic Mentoring  Community-based Programs  School-based Programs Blessings in a Backpack, Charlotte o We provide weekend nourishment to school children on the federal free and reduced meal program. o Our Mission: Blessings in a Backpack partners with America to ensure impoverished elementary school children are fed on the weekends throughout the school year. o Our Vision: Better test scores, improved reading skills, positive behavior, improved health and increased attendance have all been attributed to the success of this program. Bright Blessings, Charlotte o Slogan: “Joy, Care, Comfort, Hope For Homeless Children”

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The goal of Bright Blessings is to bring joy, recognition and support to children and families during difficult and sad times in their lives. Our two core programs, Bless-A-Birthday and Bless-A-Baby, raises spirits and boosts confidence for homeless children ages tots to teens, and offers help and hope for babies beginning life amidst the struggles of homelessness. Each program incorporates education, enrichment and critical-care needs for the children we serve-- our commitment is to supporting the whole child. o Gift of Literacy Program (In partnership with First Book Charlotte) Bruce Irons Camp Fund (BICF), Charlotte-Mecklenburg o Slogan: “Enriching the Lives of Children” o BICF Mission: The Bruce Irons Camp Fund provides summer camp experiences and follow-up enrichment activities for Charlotte-Mecklenburg public school students who have limited financial resources and demonstrate strong academic effort, leadership potential, and good citizenship. Center for Community Transitions, Charlotte (see Employment Education) Center for Prevention Services, Charlotte o The Center for Prevention Services is a private, non-profit agency that offers programs and services to help prevent substance abuse, teen alcohol and drug use, and promote drug free workplaces and schools. o Services:  Community Drug Prevention  Substance Abuse Prevention at Home  Workplace Drug Prevention  Training Courses o Bi-annual youth drug survey to help identify the extent of youth drug problems Changed Choices o Slogan: “Building new lives beyond prison walls.” o Mission Statement: As followers of Christ, our aim is to provide mental, emotional, physical and spiritual assistance to highly motivated women both during their incarceration and as they transition back into society, thus enabling them to make positive changes in their lives and to achieve selfsufficiency. o C.A.R.E.: The Comprehensive Approach to Reentry Effectiveness engages women during their incarceration, and upon release supports them through the challenges of transition (housing, employment, rehabilitation). o Second Helping: “Fresh Food. Fresh Start.” In its initial phase, Second Helping will prepare beautiful, healthy breakfasts and lunches from local produce. In the first year, we will train clients to prepare and sell individual lunches in uptown Charlotte from a “green” mobile lunch truck that has been converted to run on biodiesel fuel. During the week, the Second Helping truck will provide a convenient, affordable, healthy and environmentally responsible option for workday lunch. The truck, operational on the weekends and evenings, will also be available for festivals, as well as church and sporting events. o C.O.O.O.L.: Reaching Out to Adolescent Girls: COOOL (Changing Our Outlook On Life) is a mentoring program designed to address the needs of female youthful offenders by providing a role model and mentor, both during incarceration and upon re-entry. o Impacted Children: Changed Choices tries to encourage women to continue their relationship with their children during incarceration and attempt to help meet the needs of the children of incarcerated women. Classroom Central, Charlotte o Slogan: “Supplying Our Students” o Our Mission: Classroom Central equips students living in poverty to effectively learn by collecting and distributing free school supplies. Functioning as a Free Store for teachers, Classroom Central serves as an invaluable resource for area students and classrooms.

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Our Vision: Classroom Central ensures that all children living in poverty have all the tools they need to not only learn but to succeed. When equipped with the proper supplies, we believe there’s no limit to what children can achieve. o Our Program: Classroom Central serves high-poverty schools in six school districts: CharlotteMecklenburg, Gaston, Iredell-Statesville, Union, Kannapolis & Lancaster. Teachers and other school personnel in qualifying schools “shop” for free school supplies throughout the academic year. All materials distributed are used to create inviting learning environments and to support student’s academic and personal growth. Council for Children’s Rights o The Council for Children's Rights connects children and their families with agencies and institutions that can help them thrive. o Advocacy Teams:  Children’s Defense Team  Custody Advocacy Program  Individual Advocacy Team o We provide attorneys, advocates and staff to protect the rights and interests of children who find themselves in need of a voice. o The Larry King Center (LKC) for Building Children’s Futures  The LKC serves the community at a strategic level – maximizing the impact of work by providers, agencies, and funders. LKC is dedicated to supporting effective action for children by meeting four key needs:  Community Engagement  Community Planning  Public Policy Advocacy  Research and Evaluation  Reflecting the Council’s mission to stand up for every child’s right to be safe, healthy, and educated, The Larry King Center is focused initially on three priorities:  Improving school readiness  Reducing child abuse and neglect  Increasing access to physical and mental health care First Book, Charlotte o Mission: To give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. o We provide an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs. Florence Crittenton Services (see Health Education) Goodwill Industries, Inc. (See Education for Employment) MeckEd (see Youth Education) The Relatives, Charlotte (Alexander Youth Network) (HSN) o Slogan: “Keeping Kids Safe & Families Together.” o Mission Statement: The Relatives, Inc. provides temporary shelter and counseling services to runaway, homeless and other youth in crisis. The chief goal of the program is to keep kids safe and families together. (Mission Statement from: GuideStar.org) o Services offered:  Youth Crisis Center – A safe location for youth 7-17 who have run away from home, are homeless, or just going through a rough family situation with nowhere else to turn.  24-hour Crisis Hotline  Walk-In Crisis Support  Aftercare Services  Parenting Support  On Ramp – A Resource Center for any young adult 16-24 years old in Mecklenburg County who may need help making the successful evolution from youth to being an independent adult

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 Intensive Case Management  Futures Planning  Journey Place – A program for young adults males 18-21 who are aging our of foster care and need assistance making the transition from foster care to being an independent adult due to unmet education, employment, or social needs. Right Moves For Youth, Charlotte o Right Moves for Youth is a school-based, primary prevention and support program that collaborates with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, and other community partners to help students improve their school attendance, behavior and academic performance. o The mission of Right Moves for Youth is to provide the resources and guidance to help underserved youth graduate from high school with a plan for future success. Our mission is realized through the operation of middle and high school-based programming designed to promote the positive development of young people. Salvation Army (HSN) o Slogan: “Doing the Most Good” o Mission Statement: The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. o The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte is prepared to meet the needs of our community with 15 centers of service and 5 Family Stores with services ranging from emergency assistance, sheltering, 7 Boys & Girls Clubs, adult rehabilitation and disaster relief. o Local Programs:  Homelessness - The Center of Hope  Shelter Health Services – Free healthcare and health education for homeless women and children  Booth Garden  Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC)  Disaster Services  Christmas Services  Worship  Camp Walter Johnson  Boys & Girls Clubs  Family Stores Thompson Child & Family Focus, Matthews o Thompson is a non-profit organization operating three distinct campuses, each providing comprehensive education, treatment, and care for children (birth to 18 years) in need. o Our Mission: Called to serve children and families through healing, teaching, worship, and play. o Programs:  Thompson Child Development Center  Early Childhood Outreach  Family Support Services  Polliwog  Outpatient Therapy  Family Education  SBIT: School-Based Intervention Therapy  Foster Care Services  Foster Parent Licensing  Intensive In-Home Services  Day Treatment/The School at Thompson  PRTF: Psychiatric Residential Treatment

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 Professional Development (for Professionals in Family/Child Care Services) The Urban Restoration, Inc., Charlotte o Since 1993 The Urban Restoration has served the children and families of Charlotte's inner city. Our focus is to provide hope and healing to these communities. As the tide of risk factors: crime, drugs, gangs, and abandonment increases, The Urban Restoration remains committed to strengthening the ministries that will meet the ever-increasing needs of lost and hurting people. o Our Mission: To restore the people of Charlotte's inner city to the plan that God has for their lives through Jesus Christ by ministering to their physical, social, and spiritual needs. o Our Vision: To see urban families strengthened and restored to rebuild their homes and communities. o Our Strategy: To provide support and leadership to urban-focused ministries and leaders and to equip them to work effectively in urban settings. o Event: Amazing Love – A Father Daughter Experience. Youth Development Initiatives, Inc. (see Youth Education) YWCA (HSN) o Slogan: “Eliminating Racism. Empowering Women.” o Our Mission: YWCA Central Carolinas is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. o Our Vision: The YWCA Central Carolinas will be the community's leading nonprofit agency for empowering women, strengthening youth and families and working toward racial justice. o Programs:  Families Together (FT) Program – Transitional housing program for homeless families  Women In Transition (WIT) Program – Safe affordable housing, intensive case management, support services and connections to the web of available community services  Youth Programs – The Youth Program's Tolerance and Prevention Initiative provides weekly workshops to engage at-risk youth in character-building activities that address communication, anger management and conflict resolution.  Sarah Belk Gambrell Fitness Center

Education for Disabled Individuals 

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Abilities Unlimited of the Carolinas, Charlotte o Mission: To create, develop and energize the human spirit for those individuals with physical disabilities through adaptive activities and enhancements in their able-bodied environment. AUCarolinas is the primary sponsor for three programs for physically disabled individuals that compete regionally and nationally in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair softball and wheelchair track, field and swimming. Allegro Foundation, Charlotte o Slogan: “…a Champion for Children with Disabilities.” “Movement that Changes Lives!” o Allegro teaches 500 children with intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, orthopedic challenges (wheelchairs and walkers), Spina bifida, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, muscular dystrophy, visual and hearing impairments, children “at-risk”, and children with cancer in FREE classes every week! o Mission Statement: Allegro Foundation… a Champion for Children with Disabilities is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that combines movement instruction with educational & medical expertise, creating new techniques to teach children with disabilities and enhance their quality of life. o Basic Philosophy: Allegro’s basic philosophy emphasizes the total learning process by combining cognitive and muscle memories together to stimulate sequential and conceptual learning, problemsolving skills and communication, while also building motor skills/physical coordination, and eliciting strong emotional and physiological changes in the body. o Programs:  Free Community Outreach Classes  School Programs  Pre-school Programs

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 Summer Camp The Arc of Mecklenburg, Inc., Charlotte o Mission Statement: The Arc of Mecklenburg County creates opportunities within our community for people with cognitive impairments and their families to experience more meaningful and satisfying lives.  Connect people to community resources.  Create awareness and educate the community  Lobby local, state, and national legislators (education, housing, services, and funding).  Provide programming to educate and prepare people with disabilities for greater independence and social understanding.  Encourage empowerment and self-advocacy  Promote inclusion and community involvement o Programs & Services:  Advocacy Services  Family Support  Quarterly Workshops  Aktion Club – Disability self-advocacy  Noah’s Arc – Neonatal Intensive Care support. Autism Speaks, Charlotte o Slogan: “Autism Speaks. It’s Time to Listen.” o At Autism Speaks, our goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorder. We are dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder. We are committed to raising the funds necessary to support these goals. Autism Speaks aims to bring the autism community together as one strong voice to urge the government and private sector to listen to our concerns and take action to address this urgent global health crisis. It is our firm belief that, working together, we will find the missing pieces of the puzzle. o Family Services:  Autism Apps  Autism Response Team  Tool Kits  Military Families  Resource Guide  Resource Library  Adult Services  Autism and Epilepsy  Technology Central  Autism Safety Project  Combating Bullying  Community Connections  Health and Wellness  Grants  Participate in Research  Your Religious Community  Going Out to Eat  Video Glossary  Nantucket Autism Speaks Resource Center  Heart of Autism  Youth Organizations  Non-English Resources o Research:

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 Autism Treatment Network  Grants & Fellowships  Explore the Studies We're Funding  Participate in Research  Research Initiatives  Strategic Plan for Science  DELSIA o Advocacy Bethlehem Center of Charlotte (see Low-Income/At-Risk Youth Programs) Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center, Charlotte o Founded by the Junior League of Charlotte in 1967 as the first community speech and hearing center in North Carolina. At CSHC we believe communication is the key to connecting with the world. We are a unique organization that provides high quality services to everyone from senior executives to a single mom struggling to make ends meet. The revenue generated from one individual helps support our community initiatives. o Our Mission: To provide a full range of effective, family-centered speech-language and hearing services to everyone in need. o Services:  Hearing Services  Diagnostic Hearing Services  Hearing Aid Services  Aural Rehabilitation  Speech-Language Services  Clinical Services  Early Identification Programs  Workshops Easter Seals UCP, Charlotte o Our Mission: To create opportunities, promote individual choice, and change the lives of children and adults with disabilities by maximizing their individual potential to live, learn and work in their communities. o Services  Early Childhood  Foster Care & Family  Developmental Disability  Mental Health  Employment  Military & Veterans  Camp & Recreation Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC), Davidson o Mission: ECAC is committed to improving the lives and education of ALL children through a special emphasis on children with disabilities. o Programs & Services:  Parent Training & Information Center  NC Parent Information and Resource Center (NC PIRC)  Family to Family Healthcare Information Center (HIC)  Workshops, Webinars, Institutes, and Online Learning LifeSpan, Charlotte o Slogan: “Abilities Illuminated” o Vision: LIFESPAN empowers lives in innovative ways. o Mission: LIFESPAN empowers children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing education, employment, and enrichment opportunities to live, work, and play in their communities.

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Although we've been through many changes and experienced phenomenal growth during the past three decades, our mission has remained the same - to develop and operate programs that emphasize inclusion and choice in order to provide education, employment, and enrichment to individuals with developmental disabilities. Services Provided:  Adult Day Care  Long Term Vocational Supports  ADVP  Personal Assistance  Alternative Family Living (AFL)  Residential Supports  Community Activity & Employment Services  Supported Employment  Community Alternative Program (CAP/MRDD)  Services for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)  Day Activity  Private Pay  Day Supports  ICF/MR  Enhanced Respite and Personal Care  Developmental Day  In-Home Skill Building  Respite  Innovations Services  Personal Care

Arts, Recreation, & Cultural Education 

Arts & Science Council-Charlotte/Mecklenburg, Inc., Charlotte o Mission: Building appreciation, participation and support for the arts, science, history and heritage in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. o Vision: Shaping a vibrant cultural life for all. o The Arts & Science Council supports arts, science, history and heritage with funding, planning, programs and services. o The Arts & Science Council (ASC) is:  The community’s chief advocate for arts, science, history and heritage  A gatherer and steward of public and private community resources  An investor of those resources in the cultural sector and community  The strategic planner for the community’s cultural sector  The public art agent for the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County o Public Art Program  Calls To Artists  Projects  Public Art Walking Tour o Professional Development Workshops  ASC Workshops & Training Opportunities  Previous ASC Workshops  Other WorkshOpportunities o Cultural Leadership Training Program o Emerging Leaders Program o Community Supported Art (CSA) Program o Artist Directory o Cultural Planning o CharlotteCultureGuide.com

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o Grants and Funding o Power2Give.org Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte o Museum Mission: The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art seeks to add significantly to the cultural landscape through exhibitions and programs that celebrate and explore the Bechtler collection of 20th-century modern art as well as the personal materials related to the collection that illuminate the unique role of the Bechtler family as patrons of the period’s most innovative and influential artists. Carolina Raptor Center, Huntersville o Mission: Carolina Raptor Center is dedicated to environmental stewardship and the conservation of birds of prey, through education, research, and the rehabilitation of injured and orphan raptors. o Carolina Raptor Center is dedicated to environmental stewardship and the conservation of birds of prey through education, research, and the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned raptors. CRC’s environmental education programs reach approximately 40,000 students each year. Our Raptor Trail hosts more than 35,000 visitors a year. We collaborate in research projects conducted at universities and other raptor centers and initiate research that advances our knowledge of raptor biology and treatment, and the environmental health of our world in general. o Bald Eagle Nesting Charlotte Children’s Choir, Charlotte o Mission: Charlotte Children’s Choir serves the community by providing quality music education with the goal of attaining the highest level of artistic excellence in choral music performance. o Vision: The Charlotte Children’s Choir seeks to inspire, educate and enrich the lives of children from all backgrounds by instilling in them a lifelong love of singing. Charlotte Symphony, Charlotte o The largest and most active professional performing arts organization in the Central Carolinas o Mission: To perform great symphonic music. We aspire to serve our whole community through music that educates, entertains and enriches the human spirit. o Vision: To be recognized as a “best in class” orchestra, reflecting and leading a dynamic and growing region. o Programs:  KnightSounds series  Summer Pops in the Park at Southpark Mall  Sponsor of two Youth Orchestras  Small ensembles perform in hospitals, retirement centers, and nursing homes, bringing the power and joy of live music to those who would otherwise not hear it. Children's Theatre of Charlotte, Charlotte o CTC Mission Statement: We create exceptional theatre experiences, inspiring generations to explore the wonder of their world. o CTC Vision Statement: Transforming the way people experience children’s theatre. At Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, individual theatre events become inspiring and all-encompassing interactions. o Programs, Services, & Outreach:  Outreach Classes  Summer Camp  Summer Camp Scholarships  Workshops  In-School Programs  School of Theatre Training  Creative Drama Community School of the Arts, Charlotte (see Youth Education) Discovery Place, Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Discover the Extraordinary” o Our Mission: We exist to ignite wonder as a preeminent science education center providing extraordinary experiences that engage people in the active exploration of science and nature.

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Discovery Place, Inc. is a private 501c(3) not-for-profit education organization dedicated to inspiring exploration of the natural and social world through extraordinary exhibitions and educational programs that inform, challenge and engage audiences of all ages. o Education:  Field Trips and On-site Classes  ScienceReach  Homeschool Programs  Summer Camp  Adult Programs o Charlotte Nature Museum, Charlotte  Visitors may walk among free-flying butterflies, observe live animals, buzz around with insects or hang out in the natural world. Daily programming including puppet shows and hands-on activities provide the opportunity for structured learning and informal play for the young and old alike. o Discovery Place KIDS, Huntersville  Providing an extraordinary and rich play experience that engages children’s imagination and inspires learning, the Museum is designed to serve children and their parents or caregivers. Friendship Gardens o Slogan: “Plots to thicken community…” o Purpose:  Grows healthy food, making it available to all, especially those with limited access;  Creates community around local food traditions;  Shares knowledge and passion for sustainable food production. o Programs:  HomeGrown  Mobile Market  Workshops  Garden Network o About: Most of our garden partnerships share their harvest for the benefit of Friendship Trays. To the community: we offer educational workshops, volunteer and leadership opportunities, community connections, and food access to those with limited options. Beyond the gardens, Friendship Gardens has developed a mobile market to sell fresh fruits and vegetables in food desserts and are currently working to add SNAP / EBT access for that service. At the heart of our mission is the development of an urban farm and learning center to grow food, train volunteers, educate our community and support the urban gardening community at large. Girl Scouts Hornets Nest Council, Charlotte o The council serves more than 16,000 with over 6,500 volunteers in eight counties in North and South Carolina: Anson, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Rowan, Stanly, Union and York (SC). o Girl Scout Mission Statement: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. o Program Focus Areas:  Environmental Leadership  STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering And Math)  Healthy Living  Community Building o Patch Programs and Totable Topics o Community Outreach Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture, Charlotte o Slogan: “Where you belong.” o Our Mission: The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture presents, preserves and celebrates excellence in the art, history and culture of African-Americans and those of African descent. We ignite engagement and conversations that inspire, empower and enlighten all. o Programs:

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 Education & Outreach  Lectures & Demonstrations  Single Session Workshops  Artist-In-Residence Program  Family First (presented by Snyder’s-Lance) International House, Charlotte o Mission: Promote international understanding by serving as a center for diversity, advocating for people of diverse national backgrounds and facilitating professional and cultural exchange programs. o Programs & Services:  Ginter Immigration Law Clinic  Cultural Programs  Language Conversation Hours  International Book Club  Doorways – International Women’s Group  Global Identity Forums  Education  English Tutoring Program (ETP)  Youth English Tutoring Program (YETP)  English Classes  English Conversation Hours  Citizenship Classes  Citizen Diplomacy Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte o What is the New South?: The New South means people, places and a period of time — from 1865 to today. Levine Museum of the New South is an interactive history museum that provides the nation with the most comprehensive interpretation of post-Civil War southern society featuring men, women and children, black and white, rich and poor, long-time residents and newcomers who have shaped the South since the Civil War. o Our Mission: To engage a broad-based audience in the exploration and appreciation of the diverse history of the South since the Civil War, with a focus on Charlotte and the surrounding Carolina Piedmont. Through the Museum we collect, preserve, and interpret the materials, sights, sounds, and ideas that illumine and enliven this history. The Museum presents opportunities for life-long learning about this history for the benefit, enjoyment and education of children and adults, and provides historical context for contemporary issues and a community forum for thoughtful discussion. o Education o Programs & Events The Light Factory: Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film, Charlotte o The Light Factory's mission is to promote the power of image, in Charlotte and beyond, by informing, challenging, and stimulating audiences through photography, film, and other light-based media to see their world through a different lens. o What is The Light Factory?  The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film is one of only four museums for photography and film in the United States. We have served as a haven for artists to express new ideas through photography and filmmaking, and to support cutting edge art since 1972. o Programs:  Adult Education  Classes & Workshops  Students and Youth  Student Art Exchanges  My Family, Our Stories (ESL – promote literacy through photography)  Special Projects and Partnerships  Light Factory Programs in Schools

September 2013

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 JGS Scholarship  Corporate Experiences  Community Projects  Film  Darkroom McColl Center for Visual Art, Charlotte o McColl Center for Visual Art is a nationally acclaimed contemporary art center dedicated to connecting art and artists with the community. We welcome the public to explore our exhibitions and connect with artists through various programs including open studios, community outreaches, workshops and more. o Programs:  Summer Arts Institute  Adult Workshops  Artist Opportunities  Education  Open Studio Saturdays  Community Projects & Outreaches  Innovation Institute The Mint Museum(s), Charlotte o About the Mint: An internationally-renowned institution, The Mint Museum is dedicated to collecting, conserving, exhibiting, inspiring, publishing and protecting important works of art and design from all over the global art community. Our commitment to integrity, leadership and innovation intends to encourage not only the understanding of diverse peoples and cultures, but respect for the impact and influence they’ve had on each and every one of us. Through our two locations, Mint Museum Uptown and Mint Museum Randolph, we hope to stimulate the senses, ignite inner passion and compel our visitors to share the things that inspire them with the world. Just as our artists do. o Learning Programs:  Adult Classes  Children & Teen Classes  Summer Camps  Master Classes o Projects:  Vote for Art  Project Ten Ten Ten  Artist in Residence NC Dance Theatre (NCDT), Charlotte o Slogan: “Performing, Inspiring, Educating” o Mission: Offer the highest quality dance instruction in ballet, modern and jazz technique to students of all ages and levels of ability. o Education Mission Statement: NCDT’s Education program engages students, teachers and the community-at-large in a range of artistic activities that allow them to learn about dance as an art form. o Outreach Mission Statement: NCDT through innovative programs, dynamic performances and collaborative partnerships makes dance accessible to all communities. o Programs:  School of Dance  NCDT REACH! – The program affords children the opportunity to access quality dance training in their neighborhoods, free of charge, promoting self-esteem, discipline, a strong work ethic and an appreciation for the arts.  Summer Dance Camps/Workshops  Senior Adult Programs – Seniors can view a full dress rehearsal; Community Workshops

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Dance For Parkinson’s Disease (PD) Classes – Dance class for people with PD After School Dance Program Dance-A-Story Program – The program will travel to pre-schools and elementary school to perform a story through dance.  Behind-The-Scenes Tours – Tours may be available in the weeks leading up to each of Dance Theatre’s performances  Educational Performances – Theatre Performances & Lecture Demonstrations  School Dance Residencies – North Carolina Dance Theatre’s Teaching Artists will spend a day, a week, or months at your school in a residency program tailored to meet curriculum needs  Dance Educator Enrichment Program (DEEP) N.C. Music Educators Association, Charlotte o Mission Statement: Promote music as a fundamental component of education and to provide opportunities for lifelong learning by supporting teachers, students and communities in developing and fostering excellence in music. o Strategic Goals:  NCMEA will be a catalyst for ensuring that every child will receive a comprehensive, sequential music education delivered by exemplary music educators.  Provide professional quality events and opportunities for North Carolina's students and music educators.  Encourage excellence in music education by fostering scholarship and personal growth among members. o NCMEA committees and commissions Opera Carolina o Mission Statement: To inspire and entertain the region’s diverse community through the presentation of excellent opera, operetta, music theatre, education and outreach programs that elevate the quality of life in the Carolinas the most significant activities include the presentation of three main stage operas and a range of educational programs including in-school performances and workshops, student nights at main stage performances and performances in remote communities in NC. (from: GuideStar.org) o Education:  Opera Express – Opera Carolina educational touring company  Student Night – Chaperoned K-12 students can attend the final dress rehearsal for each opera for free.  Opera Carolina Academy The Symphony Guild of Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “Volunteers Supporting Today’s Symphony and Tomorrow’s Musicians” o Our Mission: The purpose of the Symphony Guild of Charlotte, Inc. is to create, develop and promote an interest in symphonic music in the community of Charlotte and the surrounding metropolitan area and to provide financial and volunteer support to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Society, Incorporated, the Charlotte youth symphonies and symphonic educational activities. o Youth: Programs, Classes, Competitions, Concerts, Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO), etc. Theatre Charlotte, Charlotte o Our Mission: To create outstanding theatre opportunities relevant to the people of the Charlotte region. We fulfill this commitment through our programming and other initiatives. o Student Theatre Guild o TCjr: Youth Theatre Intensive Tosco Music Party o A nonprofit corporation that produces quarterly music showcases, comprising both professional and amateur musicians. o It is our mission…  To present a wide variety of acoustic music in a supportive environment

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To foster a sense of community among listeners and performers, with a commitment to inclusiveness of participation  To provide a venue in which professional and amateur musicians can meet, network, inspire, share and contribute to the community. The YMCA (see Health Education)

Adult/Senior Education  

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Bethlehem Center of Charlotte (see Low-Income/At-Risk Youth Programs) Charlotte Mecklenburg Senior Centers, Charlotte & Huntersville o Charlotte Mecklenburg Senior Centers, Inc. is a nonprofit organization providing services and opportunities to citizens 55 years and older and their families. It is publicly and privately funded and operates for all senior adults in the community, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or disability. o Mission: To serve as a focal point to deliver a broad spectrum of services and activities to older adults throughout the Charlotte Mecklenburg community. We strive to help seniors with their health and wellness, decrease their loneliness and isolation, and provide assistance with social, economic, and educational opportunities to enhance the quality of their lives. o Programs:  Educational & Social – Computer, dance, art and language classes, trips, seminars, bridge and other recreational activities.  Health & Wellness – Cardiovascular and strength training programs.  Information & Counseling – Guidance to services available at CMSC and in the community and their families in our community.  Multi-Cultural – Outreach to Latino, Russian, Vietnamese and Asian elderly immigrants.  Nutrition – Provides balanced, low cost meals to seniors daily.  Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) – Recruits and places volunteers within the community.  Senior Employment – Job counseling, training and placement. Shepherd's Center of Charlotte, Inc., Charlotte o Slogan: “Activities for Baby Boomers and Beyond” o Mission: Shepherd’s Center of Charlotte connects learning programs and services to support and enrich the lives of older adults. o What We Do: Shepherd’s Center programs follow the lifelong learning model providing participants with an intellectually stimulating experience in an atmosphere of friendship. o Programs:  Adventures in Learning  Computer Classes  Travel Adventures o Services:  S.enior H.ealth I.nsurance I.nformation P.rogram (SHIIP)  Tax Assistance  Transportation Services  Handyman Services

Research   

Autism Speaks (see Education for Disabled Individuals) Corporation for Enterprise Development o Charlotte Asset and Opportunity Profile Comprehensive Genealogical Services (CGS), Charlotte o Our Mission: CGS is committed to researching, educating and assisting in the documentation of family histories in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. o Our Vision: We strive to build strong families and communities by discovering, preserving, honoring and sharing the cross-cultural heritage of people of African Ancestry. o CGS gives research assistance to any individual, family or ethnic group without regards to race or point of origin within the context of American Genealogy. CGS stresses the importance of African-

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Ancestral history and genealogy by encouraging active participation in recording, researching and documenting family histories. UNC Charlotte Urban Institute o The Institute is one of the nonpartisan applied research and community outreach centers of UNC Charlotte. Founded in 1969, the Institute provides a wide range of services, including technical assistance and training related to operations and data management; public opinion surveys; land-use and natural resources consulting; economic development research and community planning to meet the needs of the Charlotte region and its citizens. The Institute is part of UNC Charlotte's Metropolitan Studies and Extended Academic Programs (MSExAP), which oversees a number of the University's premier community engagement initiatives. o Our Mission: To seek solutions to the social, economic and environmental challenges facing our communities. o Focus: Economy, Environment, Social Well-Being o Programs:  PlanCharlotte.org  Institute for Social Capital, Inc. (See below)  Charlotte Regional Indicators Project  Charlotte Regional Indicators Project Partners  Renaissance Computing Institute, UNCC  Charlotte Mecklenburg Annual Survey  Transportation Information Management System  Center for Transportation Policy Studies  Charlotte Business Confidence Index o Institute for Social Capital, Inc.  Its mission is to provide social resources that advance University research and increase the community’s capacity for data-based planning and evaluation. At its core is a comprehensive set of social and human data gathered from several public and nonprofit organizations in the region.  By combining key sources of data into one community database, ISC provides a valuable resource to assess the impact of specific interventions across agency lines and to better understand the social and environmental variables that affect the community, particularly with regard to outcomes for children and families.

Education for Employment 

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To break the cycle of crime by supporting families, educating parents and the community and providing positive life skill development for children of incarcerated parents  To support alternatives to crime that will address the underlying causes and allow families to remain together. o The LifeWorks! program offers:  Employment Readiness Workshop  Employment Search.  Case Management  Referrals to Community Partners  Career Development & Job Retention  Life Skills & Critical Thinking o The Women's Facility houses 30 residents. These residents are attending self-help workshops, substance abuse meetings, parenting classes, spiritual workshops, attending college, and working and volunteering in the community. These women are in their last two years of their sentence and receive support from staff with transitioning back into society. o Empowering Kids With Incarcerated Parents (EKWIP) Program Community Culinary School of Charlotte, Charlotte o Slogan: “Chef Inspired. Community Driven” o Mission: Community Culinary School of Charlotte is a nonprofit organization that provides training and job search assistance in the food service industry for people who have experienced barriers to employment. o The School addresses: job-training, unemployment and underemployment, hunger, family values, etc. o Relapse Prevention Service o BISTRO! Buggy Council for Children’s Rights o The Council for Children's Rights connects children and their families with agencies and institutions that can help them thrive. o Advocacy Teams:  Children’s Defense Team  Custody Advocacy Program  Individual Advocacy Team o We provide attorneys, advocates and staff to protect the rights and interests of children who find themselves in need of a voice. o The Larry King Center (LKC) for Building Children’s Futures  The LKC serves the community at a strategic level – maximizing the impact of work by providers, agencies, and funders. LKC is dedicated to supporting effective action for children by meeting four key needs:  Community Engagement  Community Planning  Public Policy Advocacy  Research and Evaluation  Reflecting the Council’s mission to stand up for every child’s right to be safe, healthy, and educated, The Larry King Center is focused initially on three priorities:  Improving school readiness  Reducing child abuse and neglect  Increasing access to physical and mental health care Goodwill Industries, Inc., Charlotte (HSN) o Slogan: “Donate. Purchase. Assist. Work.” o Our Mission: Changing Lives Through the Power of Work o Our Vision: All people in our region have the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential through family sustaining employment. o Programs, Services, and Training:

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Career and Development Services ESL Employment Skills Training Job Connections  Freedom Drive Job Connection  South Boulevard JobLink  Youth Services  GoodGuides  WIA Youth  Youth Job Conncetion  Operation Independence Urban League of Central Carolinas o Slogan: “Education + Training + Placement = Dignity” o Our Mission: To empower the community to attain financial stability and social justice in a global economy through education, training and placement. o Our Vision: To be the premier change agent inspiring the community to attain socioeconomic and educational inclusion for a global economy. o Programs:  HVAC Training  Fiber Optics/Broadband Training  Technology and Business Empowerment Skills Training Program (TECH-BEST)  GED  Roads to Independence (Work First Participants referred by DSS)  Project Ready Mentor 2  Life Skills Intervention  Linking Youth to Technology Through Education (LYTE) (selected CMS schools)  Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Authorized Testing Center

Other 

New Leaders, Charlotte o Slogan: “Great Leaders = Great Schools” o Through our partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), New Leaders is committed to driving an improvement in school performance and closing the achievement gap. Our efforts begin with the New Leaders we recruit, train and place to help students of poverty and students of color prepare for college, career and citizenship. o Through our leadership programs, we develop talented educators into transformational school leaders who create a vision of success for all students and engage the whole staff and community in realizing this vision. Through our leadership services, we also collaborate with districts, charter management organizations and states to foster the conditions that enable highly effective school leaders to drive results for students.

Other Non-profit Support Services 

APPARO, Charlotte (formerly: NPower Charlotte Region) o Slogan: “Empowering Non-profits Through IT” o Mission: To transform local nonprofits through technology and services that enhance their mission. We are the go-to provider of technology strategy, implementation consulting and support services for nonprofits in the Charlotte area. Apparo acts as a bridge between the nonprofit and corporate technology sectors, delivering solutions that multiply nonprofit effectiveness. Apparo and the technology solutions we provide are "behind the hope" the nonprofit community provides for a stronger, healthier, safer, better Charlotte.

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Project Ignite: A study conducted by APPARO over several years to measure the benefits of introducing new technologies to the non-profit world.  Case Studies  Collaboration Groups – Reports on the effectiveness of different IT implementations o Technology Education Forums o Digital Ball o Clients Hands On Charlotte, Inc., Charlotte (EDUCATION & YOUTH?) o Our Mission: Hands On Charlotte's mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize a diverse corps of volunteers to strengthen our community. o Our Vision: Hands On Charlotte envisions a community in which everyone has discovered their power to make a difference and found opportunities to improve the community's civic health. o Volunteering:  Skills-based Volunteers  Corporate Volunteering  Family Volunteering  VolunTeen Silent Images, Matthews o Our Mission: Silent Images is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides photography and videography services to other nonprofit organizations seeking to tell stories of hope in the midst of persecution, poverty, or oppression. These stories and images are used to educate people about global and domestic needs, empowering them to go, give, and pray. o We mobilize professional photographers to serve other non-profit organizations and churches by offering them our services at low cost or for free. o We educate others. Our goal is to educate hundreds in order to impact thousands. Our educational tools include lectures at churches, schools, and civic groups. In addition, we use our photography to provide galleries, books and a website that raises awareness and offers a “voice for the voiceless” around the world. o We give back. The profit from our photography exhibits or book sales is donated back to the people we documented. o to building a vibrant and sustainable future for the entire Charlotte metropolitan region.

Veteran Support 

Charlotte Bridge Home o Slogan: “Connecting Veterans with: Resources, Community, Success.” o Mission: Charlotte Bridge Home helps Charlotte veterans successfully transition home after military service by identifying their education, employment and healthcare needs and connecting them to available community, state and federal resources. o Charlotte Bridge Home will serve as an entry point for returning veterans who don’t know where to turn to access support and services.

Animal Services 

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Greater Charlotte Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Charlotte o Our goal is to promote the adoption of homeless animals, educate the public about humane and responsible pet ownership, and reduce pet overpopulation through spay/neuter programs; provide shelter to those in need; and a voice to those that cannot speak for themselves. o Greater Charlotte SPCA seeks to assist homeless pets in local shelters, pets in abusive or neglectful situations and owners who can no longer keep their pets. Humane Society of Charlotte, Charlotte o The Humane Society of Charlotte is working with you to create a world where there are no more homeless and unwanted animals. As a “space available shelter,” our policy is that all animals at the Humane Society of Charlotte are offered the opportunity of a safe and loving home. For every animal adopted, another animal comes in. o Programs & Services:

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 Clinical Services  Behavior and Training Program  Humane Society of Charlotte’s Young Affiliated Professionals (HSC-YAP)  Spay/Neuter  Surrender a Pet Project HALO, Charlotte o Project HALO (Helping Animals Live On) is a non-profit, NO-KILL animal rescue and sanctuary based in Charlotte, N.C. Spay and Neuter Charlotte, Charlotte o By providing high-quality, low-cost sterilization and animal wellness services, we are improving the health of your pet while reducing animal overpopulation in our community. We want to make a difference in the lives of all animals in Charlotte.

Foundations 

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Arts & Science Council-Charlotte/Mecklenburg, Inc., Charlotte o Mission: Building appreciation, participation and support for the arts, science, history and heritage in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. o Vision: Shaping a vibrant cultural life for all. o The Arts & Science Council supports arts, science, history and heritage with funding, planning, programs and services. o The Arts & Science Council (ASC) is:  The community’s chief advocate for arts, science, history and heritage  A gatherer and steward of public and private community resources  An investor of those resources in the cultural sector and community  The strategic planner for the community’s cultural sector  The public art agent for the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County o Public Art Program  Calls To Artists  Projects  Public Art Walking Tour o Professional Development Workshops  ASC Workshops & Training Opportunities o Previous ASC Workshops  Other WorkshOpportunities o Cultural Leadership Training Program o Emerging Leaders Program o Community Supported Art (CSA) Program o Artist Directory o Cultural Planning o CharlotteCultureGuide.com o Grants and Funding o Power2Give.org Blumenthal Foundation, Charlotte o Focuses the majority of its grants on programs and projects that have an impact on Charlotte, and the state of North Carolina. o The philanthropic efforts of the Foundation are focused in nine areas of grantmaking:  Arts, Science, and Culture  Civic and Community  Education  Environment  Foundation Affiliates  Health  Jewish Institutions and Philanthropies

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 Religious and Interfaith  Social Services o The present policy of the Foundation is to make grants only to non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organizations and institutions that are exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or to a governmental agency. Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation, Charlotte o An affiliate of the FFTC o About Us: The Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation is a permanent endowment established in 2001 to benefit a broad range of charitable purposes in Mecklenburg County. The Foundation provides strategic leadership in the community by convening stakeholders on critical issues related to the civic, social, environmental and economic health of Mecklenburg County. It also assists community leaders in better understanding the challenges confronting Mecklenburg County and helps find solutions to many of our most pressing community issues. o Five key target areas:  Children and Youth  Environment  Housing  Workforce Development  Social Capital Foundation For The Carolinas (FFTC), Charlotte o Mission Statement: Foundation For The Carolinas inspires philanthropy and strengthens our region through innovative community initiatives and quality services to donors and constituents. o Centers for Giving:  Center for Personal and Family Philanthropy  Center for Nonprofits  Center for Corporate Philanthropy o Grants:  Competitive Grants Programs  Regional Affiliate Community Foundations  Employee Assistance Foundation o Scholarships o Center for Civic Leadership The Peninsula Community Foundation, Cornelius o Vision: Increase awareness of the significant needs of the population of North Mecklenburg County. Raise money to distribute to those local charities that best address the un-met needs of the young, poor, distressed, elderly and/or handicapped in our community. Carefully evaluate both the needs of the community and the effectiveness of local charities in determining which organizations get funded by the PCF. Priority is given to those charities that most effectively use PCF donations to achieve tangible, quantifiable results. Work closely with our charities to assist them in their own efforts to increase fundraising, enhance volunteer recruitment, expand their presence in the local community and improve their strategic planning and corporate governance. United Way of Central Carolinas, 5 County Region (HSN) o Strategic Plan and Community Needs Assessment o Our Mission: To create lasting change for those most in need, through strategic community philanthropy o Our Vision:  Awaken the greater community – to illuminate solutions that uplift this region’s quality of life  Leverage individual and corporate donations – to achieve measurable, lasting results  Galvanize the best nonprofit agencies and partners – to solve problems systematically and collaboratively  Uplift our neighbors facing hardship – to help families and individuals toward self-sufficiency

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Maximize our limited resources – through constant emphasis on accountability, stewardship, and integrity Women's Impact Fund, Charlotte o Slogan: “Together, We Do.” o The Women's Impact Fund awards high-impact grants ranging from $40,000 to $100,000 to community organizations in Mecklenburg County. The grants fund is a pooled fund comprised of annual contributions of $1,000 from each member of the Women's Impact Fund. All money contributed by members to the pooled fund will be awarded within the current or future grants cycle. o The purpose of the Women's Impact Fund is to maximize women's leadership in philanthropy by engaging and educating our membership, increasing charitable contributions and strengthening communities through the impact of collective giving. o The Women's Impact Fund is designed to achieve greater levels of community impact by building an inclusive membership of women interested in the power of collective grant making.

September 2013