FYI News & Notes

Compiled by John Burton

West Charlotte Church to Bring Affordable Housing to Seniors

The Park Church collaborated with various partners to bring 80 apartments to Charlotte seniors in 2023.

In December 2021, The Park Ministries broke ground on a joint venture between Laurel Street Partners, the City of Charlotte, Bank of America and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Charlotte.

The 80-unit affordable senior housing community which is slated for completion in 2023, has a total cost of approximately $16.8 million. Bank of America provided the construction loan and a tax-credit equity investment for the development. The Charlotte Housing Opportunity Investment Fund will contribute $4.3 million in financing to the project.

The community represents the first phase of a larger masterplanned development on The Park Church’s 51-acre campus. Targeting seniors aged 55 years and up, with incomes below 80 percent of the area median income, the property will comprise 48 one-bedroom and 32 two-bedroom units ranging from 660 to 900 square feet. Rents will range between $400 and $1,400. Each unit will feature walk-in closets, ceiling fans, and fully equipped kitchens. Community amenities are planned to include outdoor green space, garden plots, a fitness center, individual storage units, and a multi-purpose community room.

The community will be called Gilfield Park, after a prayer group that would become Gilfield Baptist Church, known today as The Park Church. It will be located 7 miles northwest of Uptown Charlotte, close to dining and retail options, as well as a bus stop.

Bishop Claude Alexander of The Park Church and others at the Gilfield Park groundbreaking ceremony.

Legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker, 1947

Reverberations: UNCC Celebrates the Genius of Charlie Parker

During the 2021-22 academic year, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) Department of Music is hosting a year-long celebration of the legendary Charlie Parker.

A multifaceted jazz event, Charlie “Bird” Parker: Reverberations, will be presented on Wednesday, March 23 at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, 551 South Tryon St., Charlotte, in partnership with the UNCC Department of Music, as part of their Charlie Parker 101 project. This program will explore Parker's influence on his musical collaborators and others.

The evening will include live music, spoken word performance and a panel conversation, featuring internationally acclaimed saxophonist Charles McPherson, along with UNCC faculty Jeffrey Leak, Kelsey Klotz and Will Campbell.

“We’re taking the opportunity to explore Charlie Parker — to share the breadth and depth of a musician who made an indelible impact not only on jazz, but on the communities and spaces he came into contact with,” wrote Dr. Kelsey Klotz, jazz historian and lecturer on the UNCC Department of Music website. “Parker’s genius reverberated well beyond the circles of musicians with whom he played and those who came after him, inspiring artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Romare Bearden, and writers like Ralph Ellison and Ted Joans.”

Johnson C. Smith University Gets New Cycling Program

The first women’s cycling programs at a historically Black college, Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU), and at tribal colleges and universities will launch with funding from a three-year grant from Cannondale, EF Pro Cycling, and USA Cycling (USAC). Two tribal schools, the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Navajo Technical University in Crown Point, New Mexico, are the other grant recipients. The program is open to any woman who is a student at the university who wants to join the cycling club. “Having a cycling program is going to be a great asset and will give our students an opportunity to compete as well as keep them on a healthy track physically,”said JCSU compliance director Shawn Meacham.

“Cycling will give students an opportunity to consider or explore a career in cycling, while simultaneously becoming more involved in the community and the world of cycling,” she said.

“We have the ability to change cycling, to grow the sport for everyone, and I’m excited to see where this road takes all of us,” said CEO of EF Education First-Nippo, Jonathan Vaughters. “We are excited to support the Institute of American Indian Arts, Navajo Technical University, and Johnson C. Smith University as they pave the way to a more inclusive future in cycling. I’m hopeful that in the coming years we will see more diversity at the highest levels of the sport — and that our team can help discover and develop riders who haven’t enjoyed the same access or opportunities many cyclists take for granted.”

Heather Shimmin / shutterstock

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FYI News & Notes Local Transportation Union Names First Woman President

The “Victory Lodge” Local 1725, one of nearly 1,100 Local Lodges affiliated with more than 742,000 members of the International

Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

(IAMAW), swore in Helena Thornton as its first female President in January.

Thornton is the first woman to hold the top leadership position for the local lodge. The trade union’s senior leadership was on hand to honor Thornton. Richard Johnsen, Chief of Staff to the International President; Edison Fraser, Transportation Coordinator; Tom Regan, Airline Coordinator, Grand Lodge Special Representative Will Cashion, and Headquarters Communications Representative Tanya Hutchins, joined General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes as she swore in Thornton and the 1725 Executive Board and grievance committees.

Starting her airline career in Charlotte as a part-time fleet service agent and a single mom, Thornton was simply trying to provide for her children. Thornton’s passion for her profession progressed and she ascended in positions in her almost two decades career. “As president, I want to ensure fair wages,” Thornton said. “It doesn’t matter your color, gender or race. Just that everyone works together.” Victory Lodge 1725 continues to lead the way in promoting women into leadership positions. Renae Miller was sworn in as Recording Secretary and Tami Travis as Trustee. Three of the current executive board members are now women.

This lodge is one of 1,100 Local Lodges affiliated with more

Helena Thornton, President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, Local 1725

than 742,000 members of the IAMAW, with 100,000 employed in the Transportation Sector. Victory Lodge 1725 represents approximately 3,000 active members from both District Lodges 141 and 142 and covers members employed at American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, PSA Airlines, and Alaska Airlines. Most of its members work at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in several locations. P

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