Social Issues

The Gift of Greenwood

CTO

In 1998, Marjorie Knight Crane ’90 fell in love with a Charleston low country-style home in South Charlotte before ever stepping inside. “I saw the deer, and I said, ‘sold,’ ” recalled Marjorie. “I hadn’t even seen the house.”

Changing Lives while Honoring a Legacy

CTO

When Patsy Jo Guyer ’61 accepted a scholarship to attend Queens College in 1959, she set in motion a series of events that would lead to a lifelong friendship, in addition to a scholarship named in her honor.

Catalysts for change: It takes a village

CTO

A stay in an orphanage on a family mission trip to Mexico in 2013 prompted Costco member Chrystal Smith of Austin, Texas, and her husband Nick, to think about fostering a child. Although they had three sons of their own, they fostered an 8-month-old girl a year later. PHOTO: Joy Prouty

Charlotte music therapy patients connect with feelings through songs and instruments

It isn’t unusual for Joan Kleinmann to ask group members in her music therapy sessions to rewrite lyrics or share a meaningful song. She’s a board certified music therapist with HopeWay, a nonprofit mental health treatment facility in Charlotte.

Discover good works in the Upstate

Listen to the news and you might think the world is ending. It's hard to find the positive when everything appears dramatic and traumatic. But look around Upstate SC and discover the good. There are nonprofit organizations operating working... PHOTO: Paige Ramsey Photography

Mint Museum exhibit examines complexities of border walls around the world

Fences and borders are not a national phenomenon.

“(They’re) a human response to anxiety and perceived threats,” said Jen Sudul Edwards, the chief curator and curator of contemporary art at the Mint Museum in Charlotte. PHOTO: SHAN Wallace

Housing First once drew doubts, but it's hard to argue with results

CTO

Stacy Smith* is a 35-year-old Charlottean. She was at the top of her class when she received her GED through a joint Charlotte Area Fund and CPCC program.

Mental Health First Aid

CEO

Sneeze or cough, and a friend or family member responds with the offer of a tissue, throat lozenge or even the suggestion to see a doctor. Most people know how to extend help when a loved one has a physical ailment. And when the...

How a cancer diagnosis at age 26 inspired one woman to leave the corporate world behind

Senior Architect

Brooke Thomas was diagnosed with stage-three melanoma when she was 26 years old and pregnant with her first daughter.

How do you define ‘American’? Watch these and that may change

CEO

Moises Serrano says the first thing people tell him, after watching the film about his journey, is always the same: “I didn’t know.” Serrano, raised in Yadkin County, tells his story in “Forbidden: Undocumented and Queer in Rural America.”

Fishing with Heroes

CEO

Until last year, John Boye, 69, hadn’t used a fishing pole since he was 18 years old. These days, he keeps a pole in his car and uses it any chance he gets. Boye served in the U.S. Army with the 23rd Infantry for three months during the Vietnam War. One day in August 1970, he and a point man were leading the troops down a trail near a small village.

Welcoming Community

CEO

Ballantyne is a diverse and vibrant community made up of individuals and families enjoying local activities, schools and shops. One such resident, Mariam, 19, graduated from Ardrey Kell High School and now at-tends Central Piedmont Community College. Like any teen, she feels the pressure from her parents to choose a major.