Enlarge Facilitator Denis Hayes led the March 8 Get Real 2011 public session.

Posted: March 14th, 2011 Greg Lacour

PHOTOS BY ARMANDO BELLMAS
VIDEO BY DESIREE KANE

At first, the Get Real 2011 large group session at the Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center on March 8 consisted of the following “large group”: eight people who work for or with Crossroads Charlotte--and two who don’t.

No matter, said one of the eight, Crossroads Executive Director Tracy Russ. “I don’t care if there are two people on the plane,” he said. “That plane is taking off.”

So it did, after three more folks boarded, and the conversation that followed touched on everything from the merits of pre-K education to the CIAA Tournament to the observation that education, public safety and jobs aren’t really separate issues.

“They’re all very much tied together, any way you slice it,” said Rose Jones-Edwards. “You’ve got to take a holistic approach.”

Jones-Edwards was referring to a list of priorities that session facilitator Denis Hayes was projecting onto a screen. The list emerged from a series of more than 60 Get Real workshops over the previous two weeks. During the workshops, people were asked: What are the most important things for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to pay for?

The top three, in order, out of 18: K-12 education; law enforcement and public safety; economic development and job creation. The bottom three: the arts; parks and recreation; professional sports and entertainment.

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Posted: March 12th, 2011 Lee Howard

PHOTOS BY JAMES WILLAMOR
VIDEO BY PHILLIP HOFFMAN

Now that Charlotteans have had a chance to participate in about 75 small-scale workshops to help establish priorities for its future, it’s time to figure out what to do with all that information.

A group of about 10 people weathered a cold, rainy night March 9 to meet at William R. Davie Park and discuss findings from the Get Real 2011 small group sessions. Crossroads Executive Director Tracy Russ displayed the 18 priorities that emerged from the small groups: education, crime, the arts, poverty reduction, public transit and libraries.

Russ explained that the items on the priorities list were obviously important, but which ones were the most important? How are they to be paid for? What’s the best way to approach Charlotte’s elected leaders about setting a course of action?

“One of the outcomes we would like to have is a structure for all of these things to be considered,” he said.

But whether it’s education, support for pro sports or managing growth, all the city’s individual needs must be considered as part of a larger puzzle, said participant Chris Squier, the Charlotte Housing Authority’s chief development officer.

“I think it would be better to consider all of the information at the same time,” Squier said. “Who would disagree that we shouldn’t have all of the information before us when we make decisions?”

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Posted: March 9th, 2011 Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman

PHOTOS BY ARMANDO BELLMAS

Eleven Wells Fargo employees gathered 25 stories above Charlotte on Monday, March 7, to Get Real about our values, choices and budgets in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

"This is probably the most diverse place I am all week -- from all different perspectives," said Mike Rizer, Wells Fargo's director of community development and co-chair of Crossroads Charlotte's steering committee.

As with other Get Real meetings, this one began with two of the Crossroads movies, "Fortress Charlotte" and "Eye to Eye," which depict two starkly different potential futures for the city.

Everyone in attendance received a copy of the movies as well as a resource booklet -- with details about the city, county, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and how they're funded -- and a workbook used to share their thoughts. (Download both documents here.)

After watching "Fortress Charlotte," Beverly Reynolds, a corporate fair and responsible lending officer, commented, "It's obviously not (only) the Charlotte story, it's the entire country's story."

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Posted: March 6th, 2011 Lucila Ruvalcaba

NOTE: The English translation of this post follows. Translation by Rogelio Aranda.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANA LUCIA DIVINS

La comunidad latina de Charlotte decidió “alzar la voz” y decir lo que realmente piensan durante dos recientes convocatorias que forman parte de la campaña Get Real 2011 de la organización Crossroads Charlotte.

Durante una charla organizada por Astrid Chirinos en las instalaciones de la organización Urban League, una combinación de diversas nacionalidades hispanas de diferentes edades, estratos sociales, educación  y género, se reunieron para una conversación REAL conducida por la activista comunitaria Ana Lucía Divins.

Chirinos presentó la charla como una oportunidad para la comunidad latina de integrarse a la diversidad existente en Charlotte-Mecklenburg y el papel que desempeñan los latinos dentro de la comunidad en general.

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