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Posted: January 23rd, 2012 Brant Aycock

Do you have an idea that will bring diverse members of Charlotte's population together, but need some funding to make it happen?  You may be eligible to receive those funds through Crossroads Charlotte's A.C.T. (Achieving Community Today) Projects!

Candidates submit their ideas via Crossroads Charlotte's Facebook Page.  Submissions are reviewed by Crossroads Charlotte and finalists have their ideas voted upon by the Facebook community.  The best ideas get up to $500 of funding!

"The ACT Projects were designed as a way to fund small community efforts that connect people across lines of difference," says Crossroads Charlotte Assistant Director Stacey Henderson.  "No idea is too small, and this is the perfect opportunity to make a change or impact."

Hundreds of people have already voted on projects throughout the community, and these projects have had a huge impact on those involved.  The next round of submissions starts on February 24th - so be ready to tell us about your idea!  No formal grant applications are involved!  We'll look forward to hearing from you. 

For more information you can contact Stacey Henderson at shenderson@fftc.org or 704.973.4577

Posted: January 20th, 2012 Crystal Dempsey

Video and report by Rid Creative Media

Some learned English as a second language. Some are former refugees just hearing English for the first time. The FACE Project (Friendships Across Charlotte Ethnicities), the brainchild of Amber Schrenkel, brings together elementary school students in a fun social setting, in hopes of stimulating new friendships.

The idea is to help kids look past their differences and focus on a common experience. A Crossroads Charlotte A.C.T. (Achieving Community Today) project winner, the FACE Project took the kids ice skating and the result was pure magic.

Posted: January 20th, 2012 Tonya Jameson

The scenario is all too familiar for some. A good friend, or maybe a family member, is a victim of domestic violence. Her husband or boyfriend is physically or mentally – often both – abusive, but the victim keeps going back or never leaves.

On Saturday, about a half dozen people discussed this and other scenarios that challenge our inner peace during an A.C.T (Achieving Community Today)-sponsored discussion called “Beautiful from the Inside Out.” The talk targeted people who were victims of or who’ve been affected by domestic violence. It was the first part of a two-part Love Project created by Amy Stewart. The second part of the project involves documenting stories by people affected by domestic violence.

Stewart said she hopes the project will teach people to find the similarities with each other.

On Saturday, participants spent the first half of the five-hour workshop discussing a range of situations that challenge our inner peace. Dave Nichols talked about how the Lakewood Community became more united once neighbors talked more to each other and began to look out for each other. Thirteen-year-old Asia McLean told the group that she and her younger brother stopped listening to the radio because the music is too negative. She said she feels happier.

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Posted: January 19th, 2012 Ken Garfield

At first glance, it looked like any other Sunday morning in the pews at Providence United Methodist Church: A largely white congregation gathered to worship God – very friendly and slightly older, which is typical now for mainstream, moderate congregations in Charlotte and beyond.   

But what was different on the pulpit on this Sunday (Jan. 15) told the story of Xchange Sermons, and the story of anything-but-average houses of worship willing to take a stand for reconciliation. On this weekend honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Providence United Methodist welcomed the pastor and choir from St. Mark’s United Methodist, an African American congregation on Clanton Road. At the start of this third season of clergy of different beliefs, color and cultures swapping pulpits, the message of Rev. Paul Milton rang out in an extraordinary way: “Have you heard the voice of God?” he preached to 650 at the two morning services. “When God calls you by name, He will say, ‘Yes, you can.’ ”   

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