Attending the $25,000 check presentation from Duke Energy to Nanatahala Health Foundation and the Town of Dillsboro are, from left, Tiffany Henry, Jackson County Economic Development Director; Julie Spiro Donaldson, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director; Keith Clark, Dillsboro Town Planning Chair; Lisa Leatherman, Duke Energy Local Government and Community Relations Manager; Debbie Coffey, Dillsboro Town Clerk; David Garrett, Nantahala Health Foundation Board Chair; Lori Bailey, Nantahala Health Foundation Executive Director; Lisa Duff, Nantahala Health Foundation Associate Director; and David Jones, Dillsboro Mayor.

Duke Energy Foundation distributed $500,000 in grants to help small businesses across North Carolina – from restaurants to retailers – continue ongoing recovery from economic challenges initially triggered by the pandemic.

This is the second year Duke Energy has provided targeted grants in support of economic stability for downtowns throughout the state and the second time the company has chosen to work with Nantahala Health Foundation to accomplish its goals, first in Andrews, where 24 business plans received investment funding through this effort.

Our $25,000 grant was one of 20 awarded to nonprofits across the state. With it and the support of a local committee, we have established a small-business support microgrant program ready for deployment in Dillsboro. Microgrants will range from $500 to $2,500 per individual business.

Our Needs Immediately Met, or NIMble grant, of up to $5,000 per organization is intended to support an organization's one-time critical purchases, immediate needs for stabilization or crisis response, or small-scale opportunities related to work to address health and well-being as defined by our Priority Funding areas.

NIMble applications in 2022 will be accepted on a rolling basis, with notification of award status anticipated within 6 to 8 weeks of submission. The NIMble 2022 program will remain in effect until allocated funds are exhausted. Applicants (organizations) are eligible for one NIMble award only within a 12-month window, i.e., if awarded a grant in May 2022, that organization will be eligible again for another NIMble award in May 2023.

Barbara 'Sunshine' Parker grew up in the Yellowhill and Tow String communities on the Qualla Boundary. After graduating from Swain County High, she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in social work from the University of Tennessee. She worked in the field of developmental disabilities for several years before returning to school to pursue a law degree.

Upon graduating from law school, she returned to the  Qualla Boundary, where the bulk of her work focused on child welfare, human services and legal issues in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian Office of the Attorney General. She was named an Associate Judge of the Cherokee Trial Court in 2021 and continues to serve as a member of both the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority and the Yogi Crowe Memorial Scholarship boards.

Ollin Dunford is retired from Goodyear Rubber Tire & Company and holds a bachelor's degree from Western Carolina University in Sociology with a Minor in Health and Physical Education. He has served on the Jackson County Planning Board since March 2021. Prior to that, he served on the planning board for the Village of Forest Hills, as well as a Board Member for Jackson County Sports Hall of Fame for 12 years.                                                   

Mr. Dunford has been a fixture in Jackson County Sports for more than 20 years. He has served as Varsity Girls’ Head Basketball coach at Smoky Mountain High School since 2018. Prior to that, he served 13 years as aassistant coach with 11 of the years as the Head Junior Varsity coach. He has been the President of Jackson County Youth Basketball for more than 18 years.

Mr. Dunford lives in Jackson County with his wife, Jane Adams-Dunford, who is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at WCU.

Nantahala Health Foundation Associate Director Lisa Duff (left) and Executive Director Lori Bailey (center), along with Jane Kimsey, our Founding Board Chair, attended a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony at the new Angel Medical Center on September 13. The facility, which represents a nearly $70 million healthcare investment by HCA/Mission Health Systems in our region, officially opened to the public Sunday morning, September 18.

Our colleagues at Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation will welcome former Duke and Michigan State Head Basketball Coach Joanne P. McCallie for Lessons from a Secret Warrior at the Highlands Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, September 21, at 5:30 p.m.

“Coach P” was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 30. She learned to manage her mental health and excel in her 32-year career. She led Michigan State to the Final Four and was named the 2005 Associated Press National Coach of the Year. She made the decision to step away from coaching in 2020 to become a full-time mental health and wellness advocate. 

Coach P brings an interesting and dynamic outlook and presentation to mental health awareness. She bonds incredibly well with the audience and is very engaging with everyone. The event is FREE to everyone, but reservations are required.

The Good News -- Opportunity Insights, a huge data mapping project underway at Harvard University, is on a mission to identify barriers to economic opportunity and develop scalable solutions that will empower people throughout the United States to rise out of poverty and achieve better life outcomes. All their data sets, including the robust Opportunity Atlas, are available to the public at opportunityinsights.org.

The Bad News -- Their research indicates that the American Dream has been fading over time. The defining feature of the American Dream is upward mobility – the aspiration that all children have a chance at economic success, no matter their background. However, their research shows that children’s chances of earning more than their parents have been declining. Some 90% of children born in 1940 grew up to earn more than their parents. Today, only half of all children earn more than their parents did.

Admittedly, Opportunity Atlas can be challenging to navigate. That's why we've provided a video intro below. Understanding the barriers we face is the first step in bringing them down:

For a podcast introduction to Opportunity Insights, click HERE.

What did you think of this September's newsletter? Take a quick 3-question survey to let us know.

Our grant-making priorities are designed to create a strong network of organizations by investing in your strategies to remove barriers to health.

At Nantahala Health Foundation, we build partnerships with forward-thinking organizations focused on improving the overall health of the region. 

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Our values speak to who we are as an organization and how we intend to achieve our mission. Read our full statement of values and let us know what you think.

Financial information about our organization and a copy of our license are available from the N.C. State Solicitation Licensing Section at (919) 807-2214. The license is not an endorsement by the State.