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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 18th, 2012 Lee Howard

West Meck Senior Donavon Dicks won this year’s Pride Global Youth Award, which honors an outstanding Mecklenburg County high school student who has demonstrated global volunteerism, fundraising for worthy causes or mission work. The Pride Awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in the African-American community.

Members of the Occupy Charlotte movement asked the Charlotte City Council last week not to prohibit camping on city property, which would force the protesters to remove their tents and belongings from old City Hall. Council members are considering crowd-control ordinances to prepare for September’s Democratic National Convention, which will likely draw hundreds or thousands of protestors.

A significant cluster of Chinese scientists and their families has migrated to Cabarrus County in the last few years. They've come to work at Dole’s NC Research Campus. They have found their growing numbers helpful in adapting to the area.

Time Out Youth (TOY) has hired a new executive director,Rodney Tucker. Long known for his involvement with the LBGT community, Tucker says he’s optimistic about TOY’s future. Tucker is a native of nearby Oakboro, N.C., and a former employee of the Regional HIV/AIDS Consortium.

The ostensibly non-partisan Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board, now nonetheless in the hands a Democratic majority, is in the throes of selecting a new CMS superintendent. How will the selection play out? For the last two years, no party has held five votes on the nine-member board.

Posted: January 16th, 2012 Lee Howard

It’s admittedly a rough and disparate part of town. But residents of Eagle Woods Apartments off Farm Pond Lane in East Charlotte strove to bring people together on Saturday, Jan. 14. Old and young, white, black, Hispanic, Russian and Burmese. 

The tie that binds? "Thank You" cards to the inspirational people in their lives.

“We’re here to help strengthen the community overall,” said Sheree Harper, a UNC-Charlotte grad student majoring in school counseling.

Harper was one of the coordinators of the event, held at the Eagle Woods Apartments clubhouse. She’s also a member of CHARP, the Charlotte Action Research Project, a recent recipient of a Crossroads CharlotteAchieving Community Today Projects grant. A.C.T. Projects grants were designed to fund small initiatives that connect people across lines of difference. Members of the community submitted ideas, and the public decided which groups received funding by voting on Facebook. The winners received up to $500 to implement their projects. Other recipients have included the Enderly Park Neighborhood Association and the Love Project, whose members are survivors of domestic violence.

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Posted: December 22nd, 2011 Lee Howard

Deanna McCain said she wants to start a photo album of events her neighborhood association puts together. Jaquisha Fisher was just having fun hanging out with her cousins and giggling over a plate of chicken and rice.

And all 9-year-old Lindrina Ray wanted was to have her picture taken.

They were among the 50 or so folks, old and young, who attended the first Enderly Park Neighborhood Association Holiday Ball on Saturday, Dec. 17. The two-hour event was at the Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center at 2921 Tuckaseegee Road.

The goal of the event was to bring younger and older people together for food and fellowship, said Darryle Williams, neighborhood association president. The center provides programs for the elderly and for youngsters, but rarely do the two come together, he said. “The Holiday Ball is intended to bridge that gap between older and younger people in our community,” Williams said.

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