NCCAA honors the legacy of community action pioneer Andrea Harris with inaugural scholarship fund | |
|
The North Carolina Community Action Association installed its 2022-2024 board of directors on Friday, May 13 at the closing of its annual three-day conference. “NCCAA exists to uplift our state’s most vulnerable families,” said Executive Director Sharon C. Goodson. “We welcome these new board members, whose passions are deeply rooted in our statewide network’s anti-poverty mission." READ MORE
| |
Five Questions with Nichelle Cole, Executive Director Nash-Edgecombe-Wilson Community Action, Inc. | |
|
Growing up in Goldsboro’s Washington Park community, Nichelle Cole remembers being nurtured by an abundance of play aunties, uncles, teachers, and church family. “It was a community that lived out the notion that it takes a village to raise a child,” she said. “Consequently, I have a passion for making the same kind of impact in the communities in which I live and work.” Nichelle is the executive director of Nash-Edgecombe-Wilson Community Action. READ MORE
| |
Ayyana Nzomo is creating her future instead of allowing it
| |
|
“In December 2020, after being unemployed as a result of COVID, I found myself with three children under the age of 5, struggling to keep up with our monthly expenses. My situation was urgent and dire and I needed help. After a bit of online research for resources, I came across The Charlotte Area Fund(CAF). Along with other applications that I had submitted that day, with no way of knowing whether this would actually materialize into the help I desperately needed, I submitted an application. Read about the support that CAF provided.
| |
Allyshia’s journey from addiction and homelessness to stability | |
|
In April 2020, I was homeless, in a toxic relationship with someone who did not see my worth, and I was surrounded by trauma. I was unemployed, stole food, and arrested for missing court dates. Worst still, my four children had been placed in foster care the year before. I was not putting the most important things first: my children and myself. I was alone with no food, no phone, and no hope. I asked God to forgive me. That night, the Lord saved me. READ MORE
| |
Starting a career she’s passionate about: Mona’s story | |
|
Mona approached Charlotte Area Fund for assistance to pursue a registered nurse (RN) certification. She had earned a certified nurse assistant certificate and had been pursuing her RN certification in Virginia. After a lengthy discussion with her case manager, it became clear that Mona wasn’t passionate about nursing. CAF’s case manager helped Mona explore potential career opportunities. READ MORE
| |
|
CAF launches Good Health is Wealth COVID campaign
Charlotte Area Fund has launched a COVID-19 awareness campaign, Good Health is Wealth, in celebration of Community Action Week. On June 18, the campaign had a strong presence at the Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas with on-site health screenings, COVID-19 vaccinations, and information about Charlotte Area Fund programs.
READ MORE
| |
|
EIC resource fair benefits more than local 440 families
More than 440 families from Perquimans and surrounding counties took advantage of the Economic Improvement Council’s Community Resource Fair recently at the Perquimans Park and Recreation Center. Families received fruits and vegetables, potatoes, bottled water, baby wipes, cleaning staples, and other home necessities.
READ MORE
| |
|
Mountain Projects takes steps forward in Jackson County
Mountain Projects had much to celebrate last week. The nonprofit recently welcomed Reginald Speight, Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s North Carolina Office of Rural Development, who spoke to a round table at Mountain Projects’ new Sylva office. Speight outlined current initiatives available to rural communities in the mountains.
READ MORE
| |
|
Commissioners show support for WAMY grant
WAMY received a boost in its bid for a $150,000 grant when the Watauga County Board of Commissioners threw support behind the application at its recent meeting. WAMY is applying for a Housing Preservation Grant from the USDA to help cover repair and rehabilitation expenses of low-income family homes in the High Country.
READ MORE
| |
Head Start-aged youth now eligible for COVID vaccines | CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that all children 6 months through 5 years of age should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This expands eligibility for vaccination to nearly 20 million additional children and means that all Americans ages 6 months and older are now eligible for vaccination. READ MORE | |
|
Call for presentations and registration now open for 2022 SEACAA annual conference
| |
|
The 2022 annual SEACAA conference will be held October 18-21 at the Beau Rivage Hotel, Biloxi, Mississippi. Register now! Interested in sharing your experiences, ideas, or case studies of your work? Submit a presentation proposal by no later than Friday, July 15, 2022.
| |
OCS Announces Verna Best as New Division of Community Assistance Program Operations Branch Chief | |
|
Verna P. Best has been named the Office of Community Services' (OCS) new Division of Community Assistance (DCA) Program Operations Branch Chief. “NCAP is excited to see Ms. Verna Best come back to Community Action through her new role as DCA Program Operations Branch Chief at the Federal Office of Community Services," said NCAP CEO Denise Harlow. "Ms. Best has a long history with CSBG and Community Action and we look forward to working with her in this new role.” READ MORE
| |
Duke Energy announces third year of its $1 million social justice and racial equality grants | |
Duke Energy has announced the third year of its $1 million grant opportunity through the Duke Energy Foundation for North Carolina nonprofit organizations working for social justice and racial equity. Applications will be reviewed through a competitive grant cycle, and $25,000 grants will be awarded for general operating funds at eligible nonprofits. READ MORE
| |
|
NCDHHS to establish Community Access Points for free, at-home COVID tests
NCDHHS is establishing Community Access Points in all 100 counties where North Carolinians can find free and easy at-home tests, in an effort to meet people where they are, with the tools they need to protect themselves from COVID-19. Community organizations interested in becoming a Community Access Point can register online. Information on where to find at-home tests is available at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/PickUpTests. Information on how and where to find all testing locations in North Carolina is available at: covid19.ncdhhs.gov/FindTests. READ MORE
| |
|
HHS Announces programs to join President Biden's Justice40 Initiative
President Biden's Justice40 Initiative was created to ensure that federal agencies deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, clean water, and other investments to disadvantaged communities. After starting implementation on two Justice40 pilot programs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), HHS is proud to prioritize 13 programs to include in the Justice40 Initiative that will help communities find relief from pollution and climate-related events impacting people’s health. READ MORE
| |
|
Tackling COVID vaccine hesitancy: It’s worth a shot
As of June 22, only 52% of North Carolina’s Black and African American population had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and only 32% of the state’s American Indian or Alaska Native residents could say the same. Among the Tar Heel State’s white population, 54% are vaccinated, while the Asian community has the highest vaccination rate of all: 75%. READ MORE
| |
I was homeless in rural America
After we packed what was left of our belongings into our rusted-out minivan, my siblings and I loaded in to avoid the rain. We squeezed in among the garbage bags full of clothes, the kitchen appliances, and the weathered, mud-covered camping tent—our home for the past week. My mother slumped in the driver’s seat, defeated. Face buried in her hands, she pleaded between quiet sobs, “What did we do to deserve this?” READ MORE
| |
|
Have thoughts, articles, ideas, suggestions for the NCCAA Empowered Newsletter?
We'd love to hear them. Please take a minute to share by submitting content to communications@nccaa.net. Thank you!
| | | | | |
