Enlarge Students in Circle de Luz focus on education, cultural activities and healthy living.

Posted: August 26th, 2009 Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman

Text by Rhiannon Bowman

Rosie Molinary, author of "Hijas Americanas: Beauty, Body Image, and Growing Up Latina," didn't mean to start a non-profit organization.

But after the research for her book about growing up within two cultures confirmed her intuitions about the struggles the Latinas face, she couldn't help herself. "I felt that I couldn't put my head in the sand on this," she said.

According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Campaign to End Teen Pregnancy, Latino students have the highest dropout rates of all races. A third of the Latinas who dropped out of school cited pregnancy or marriage as their reason.

On book tour, teachers would approach Molinary and say things like, "I wish you could talk to my Latinas." Others would ask, "What can I do to help?"

A former teacher for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, Molinary said she knew she wanted to offer mentoring, scholarships and programs for the girls but wasn't sure how to get started.

So, in March 2008, she gathered her friends and asked for their ideas and support. Many of the women in that first meeting are still on the board of directors for what is now known as Circle de Luz, which means "Circle of Light."

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Posted: August 14th, 2009 Crystal Dempsey

By Tonya Jameson

When Anna Beeman returns to Charlotte Catholic High in a couple of weeks, the rising senior will be worried about more than SATs and graduation. This month, she made a goal and she plans to accomplish it.

The goal? Eradicate homophobia within the circle of people who are close to her. She wants to set the precedence of tolerance and acceptance. She wants to make sure no one is harassed or made to feel like outcasts because of their sexuality.

That’s a big a goal for a 17-year-old. That’s a big goal for anyone. Anna isn’t just any 17-year-old. She is one of the 41 Charlotte-area high students who attended Camp Anytown, which empowers youth to create more inclusive communities. The Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice sponsors the camp each summer. This year, students hailed from West Mecklenburg, West Charlotte, Harding, Hopewell, Myers Park, Charlotte Latin, Charlotte Catholic and other schools.

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Posted: August 10th, 2009 Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman

Photo by Danielle Richardson

Kelley Graham loves her south Charlotte neighborhood. When she moved here three years ago, she liked its proximity to Providence High School, where her sons are students.

On move-in day, neighbors not only introduced themselves but they hauled boxes from the truck. Now, she says, she enjoys that it's a walking neighborhood, and that walkers wave to her while she works in the yard.

About three months ago, she saw an Edy's Grand Ice Cream ad in The Charlotte Observer. Edy's wanted to know, in 500 words or less, why people love their neighborhoods. She jumped on the chance to tell the world.

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Posted: July 8th, 2009 Brant Aycock

A group that got its start on the Crossroads Charlotte website has seen a continual increase in its numbers since its inception. Adventurous Palates is an informal dinner club that meets once a month to try different ethnic restaurants here in Charlotte. The group was started by Brant Aycock and Stacey Richards, who met through their involvement with Crossroads Charlotte.

“I was facilitating a Listening Tour for Crossroads Charlotte in the fall of 2008 which was asking residents what they thought was a good way to bring people together, says Brant Aycock of Russ Communications. “The answer that seemed to come up most often was ‘FOOD’”. Brant mentioned this to his friend Stacey, who worked for Crossroads Charlotte via the Foundation For The Carolinas, and together they came up with the idea.

“We originally came up with the group thinking it would be just us Crossroads people, but it seemed to catch on rather quickly, says Brant. Almost immediately, there were questions regarding the Adventurous Palates Crossroads Group page. Today the group posts its activities on the Crossroads Charlotte website as well as on Facebook.

The first dinner was at an Ethiopian Restaurant, which was a truly adventurous start. There were seven attendees, four of whom were involved directly with Crossroads Charlotte. The most recent dinner happened this week, and there were 15 attendees of varied ethnicities, sexual orientations, ages and backgrounds. Some of these had not met anyone in the group prior to the dinner. “A perfect stranger sent me a message in my inbox inquiring more about how the group was set up and she immediately wanted to participate saying she stumbled across it online and that it was a great idea!!” said Stacey.

“I’ve met friends whom I never would have met otherwise, says Brant. “I think the shared experience of something unfamiliar tends to bond people. There is always a lot of pointing at plates and asking about each others’ dinners. It’s a lot of laughs!”

Stacey Richards agrees, “I have truly enjoyed the dinners also because this is really probably the only time I would ‘try’ and be adventurous (despite my pickiness when I do go!).”

Not only are diners learning about each other, they are learning about other cultures. First time attendee Melissa Harris adds, “Times are a little too tough to travel other countries. Adventurous Palates offers a sneak peek into other parts of the world!"

For more information on Adventurous Palates and their upcoming dinners, CLICK HERE.