Enlarge Nichole Jaworski organized women in her Steele Creek neighborhood to do charity projects.

Posted: December 13th, 2009 Greg Lacour

Crossroads Charlotte occasionally spotlights individuals who are improving the city's social capital.

Nichole Jaworski moved to Charlotte from Dallas three years ago with her husband and two children. Accustomed to doing charity work, she said she was surprised to find limited opportunities in the Steele Creek neighborhood in southwest Charlotte. So over the summer, she started a blog, and began contacting her neighbors about taking on monthly charity projects. In just a few months, Jaworski has assembled a team of 16 women in Steele Creek who do way more than one project per month. They’ve worked with Crisis Assistance Ministry, Urban Ministry Center and other area charitable organizations to raise money and collect food and clothing for the needy.

Why she does what she does? "I’m really inspired by one of Gandhi’s quotes: ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ It’d be easy to turn a blind eye to hunger and homelessness, but I don’t want to do that. It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, I’ll just let it be someone else’s problem.' But we all have a duty to try and help out.”

What's next? Holiday projects, including a drive to gather paper products and cleaning supplies for Pilgrim’s Inn Women’s Shelter in Rock Hill and a clothing drive for Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte.

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