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 8th, 2012 Amanda Pagliarini

On Jan. 3, Mayor Foxx proclaimed 2012 to be “The Year of Our Neighbors”. The team behind Souls of Our Neighbors (SOON) is treating the mayor's proclamation as a directive. 

The mayor made this announcement on the first day back to work in the new year, as over 300 people gathered to screen “Souls of Our Neighbors”, a documentary on affordable housing. With a 60% local increase in homeless families since 2009, the immediacy of this call to action seems justifiable.

The initiatives SOON has already outlined for the year show an authenticity to the program's name. Rather than look to local government or big corporations, the impetus is being placed on the community; starting with our congregations. (Click here for SOON's website.)

Launching in February,“Beyond Casseroles” will recruit congregations to donate the $3,600 cost to assign a social worker to assist a homeless family. Eight local agencies engaged in homelessness or affordable housing advocacy came together to form the “Beyond Casseroles” coalition. The name came from the hope that our congregations would move beyond food donation to actual real investments that will help to prevent and end homelessness.

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Posted: December 27th, 2011 Lee Howard

In a push to inspire greater local civic participation in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County government, the League of Women Voters plans to host a month-long series of seminars starting Feb. 13. Cost is $40. The tutorials will include info about local government, the courts and media. For registration, click here.

Mob scenes played out all across the Charlotte area recently. A new “fashion” athletic shoe, the $175 Air Jordan, caused near riots wherever they went on sale. They were being particularly sought by African American shoppers. This prompted some criticism from members of the local African American community, who believe priorities need realignment.

NASCAR, a sport synonymous with the Carolinas and especially Charlotte, is looking at possible layoffs in the wake of dwindling sponsorships. Home viewing has increased and the sport is still a local staple. But the current economy is making it harder to find companies willing to shell out $25 million to be a primary sponsor. That could lead to staff cuts.

Until recent history, the least healthy food stuff you could find at a hospital was on its own cafeteria shelf. But in an effort to improve the overall health of their workers, most Charlotte region hospitals have begun offering better choices for their employees, including fresh fruit and vegetables. They’ve also reduced the prices of the healthier items to encourage people to try them.

More than 4,700 homeless students are now enrolled in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, a 20% increase over the past five years. Charlotte non-profit A Child’s Place, since 1989, has been attempting to make a difference in their lives. The kids often need the very basics, including school supplies, clothing and snacks to take to school. For more information about how to help, click here!

Posted: November 9th, 2011 Lee Howard

Stories worth sharing this week:

• The aftermath of North Carolina’s attempts to control “undesirables,” something euphemistically known as “eugenics,” is prompting state officials to consider compensation for thousands wronged by state-mandated sterilization. The program started in the 1920s to prevent the mentally ill, epileptics and the “feebleminded” from procreating. It lingered into the 1970s and has become a vicious scar no longer buried in the state’s past.
• History or sacrilege? It depends on your perspective. More than 14,000 tickets have been sold for the opening this coming Friday of Discovery Place’s Mummies of the World exhibit, a local record. But showing the mummified remains of people who have not given their consent could raise ethical questions for some religious, cultural and moral reasons. Will you be going to see this exhibit?
• With minority high school graduation rates lagging in Mecklenburg  County schools, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte has stepped up with a new program targeting students in local high schools with the lowest graduation rates. The local Y has formed a branch of a national youth club called Y Achievers. Workshops offer minority and underserved students assistance with character development, leadership and community service.
• New voting district boundaries, recently drawn up by Republican lawmakers, violate the state constitution, or so says the NAACP, the League of Women Voters and Democracy NC. The various groups have filed a lawsuit alleging racial bias in the new voting district boundaries. It seems the newly drawn districts meet federal requirements, but don’t meet state law, the suit alleges.
• A toothache hurts anyone, but if you’re homeless and have no access to dental care, it can wear away at your overall health.On Nov. 5, Shelter Health Service provided a dental van at Center of Hope, a Salvation Army emergency shelter for women and children, staffed with professionals from Landmark Dentistry in Matthews. Landmark, which made its services available for free, hopes to offer the mobile clinic on a quarterly basis for the next year.