Volunteer with Youth this Summer -- It's Rewarding

Summertime is approaching, and although we aren't kids anymore (which means gone are the nearly three-month-long summer breaks), there are plenty of opportunities to support youth in our communities. I've found, over the years, this is when many youth programs and nonprofit organizations are in great need of volunteers and mentors. I encourage you to get involved, whether it's in a long-term capacity with one organization or you're supporting various events throughout the coming weeks and months.

On Saturday, I volunteered with the Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Foundation's annual football camp. The Carolina Panthers' star, Thomas Davis, puts on the free event for Charlotte youth and invites several of his teammates and other players and coaches from around the NFL to provide a day of fun, sports training, and motivation for the kids (fellow Panthers Luke Kuechly, Ryan Kalil, and Jonathan Stewart were among those in attendance; watch the Panthers.com video of Davis' camp). The camp is a part of TDDDF's annual charity weekend, which also included a fundraising party Friday night at the Harvey B. Gantt Center (also attended and supported by several NFL players).

As I helped with the camp registration Saturday morning, and the kids walked up one by one to check in, it reminded me why I love giving my time to serve youth. Just seeing the looks on their faces -- excitement, enthusiasm, and even shyness for some -- took me back to when I was their ages, and had the benefit of men in my community positively impacting my life (from my father to my Boy Scout troop leaders and recreation league coaches).  

A pleasure volunteering at @ThomasDavisSDTM @TDDDF's free youth football camp today in #CLT. #TDDDF pic.twitter.com/7u1Gc9KeLM

— Jarvis Holliday (@HollidayInk) May 16, 2015

Out here supporting the man of the year @td58 with his football Champ Charlotte #defendingdreams #keeppounding

A photo posted by Jonathan Stewart (@jonathanstewar1) on May 16, 2015 at 8:18am PDT

Below is a quick video I captured with my phone of the TDDDF camp kids shouting their excitement at the end of the day's activities.

I look forward to volunteering with youth throughout this summer, and I hope you will too! Follow me on Twitter @HollidayInk, where I often share details on volunteer and charitable opportunities in Charlotte.

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Saturday in Charlotte - GoodCamp and Men's Summit Events - Both Free

On my Dusk Till Dawn blog, each week I compile a list of social events and parties that are going on throughout Charlotte--there truly is a lot to do around here (check out this weekend's list of more than 20 events). But sometimes you need to participate in something that enriches you--your soul, your life, your career, your community. And there are a couple of events taking place this Saturday, September 6 in Charlotte that will help you do just that. Each is free and open to the public.

GoodCamp: A Social Good Unconference
9 a.m.-2 p.m. | Packard Place, 222 S. Church St.
GoodCamp is a user-generated (you pitch ideas; participants decide) "unconference" focusing on creating effective communications for social good. The organizers say that staff members, volunteers, and board members for nonprofits, foundations, philanthropic organizations, and governmental organizations will have the most to gain from attending. Visit goodcamp.org for more details and to register to attend.

Seconnd Annual Men's Summit
4-7 p.m. | Carole Hoefener Center, 610 E. Seventh St.
It’s an evening of empowerment, dialog, and tributes with special guests Senator Joel Ford, Dr. Tommy Watson, and Willie Ratchford. Presented by Suit Up Charlotte, an organization whose mission is to serve and inspire men in transition; to provide support that will result in more stable, confident, and stronger men, fathers, leaders, and families within our communities. Click here to register.

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Back-To-School Charlotte 2014 - Community Events

It's back-to-school time in Charlotte, as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students officially say goodbye to summer, and return to learning on Monday, August 25. Below is a handful of great community initiatives (of which I know organizers personally, and commend them for giving back), that are making the start of the school year better and brighter for our youth.

Please support these causes and spread the word!

Cuttin' Class - Community Hair Cutting Day
Saturday, August 23 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Park West Barber College, 3120 Wilkinson Blvd.
Just as they've done each year, the owners and staff of No Grease Barbershops are converging at one location and offering free hair cuts on the Saturday before kids go back to school. The free hair cut day will also include giveaways of book bags and school supplies. Boys grades K-12 are welcomed. Presented by No Grease, Inc. and The IT Factor Media Group. nogrease.com, Facebook event.

Hair-A-Thon Community Back-to-School Event
Saturday, August 23 | Begins at 9 a.m.
Pure Body Salon & Spa, 2415 Tuckaseegee Rd.
Young girls can come get pretty in time to start school, as this salon is offering free hair services to the first 60 girls, ages 5-13. They will also be given free school supplies and other goodies. purebodysalon.com.

West Fest
Saturday, August 23 | noon-6 p.m.
West Charlotte High School, 2219 Senior Dr.
This was a popular, annual summer festival on Charlotte's west side in the 1990s, and after a long hiatus, Project L.I.F.T. brought it back last year. This year's family friendly, free event will feature an appearance and performance by ABC Family star and “Just a Kiss” recording artist Mishon, as well as performances by local and regional R&B, jazz, gospel, dance, and hip hop artists, and the West Charlotte High School band. There will also be vendors, a resource fair, health screenings by Novant Healthcare, food, games, prize giveaways, and more. projectliftcharlotte.org, facebook.com/ProjectLIFTCharlotte.

Million Father March
Monday, August 25
Your child's school
The Million Father March is a nationwide initiative to encourage more fathers, particularly African-Americans, to become more involved in their children's education. The effort is kicked off each year by a campaign to get men in local communities to escort kids to the first day of school. And for the second consecutive year, Project L.I.F.T. is organizing it for seven CMS Schools: West Charlotte High School, Allenbrook Elementary, Statesville Road Elementary, Walter G. Byers School, Bruns Academy, Druid Hills Academy, and Ranson IB Middle School. Charlotte volunteers are being asked to sign up by visiting http://bit.ly/millionfathers, and the day will also include distributing of school supplies.

Back-to-School Ice Cream Social
Saturday, August 30
Center of Hope
InSPIRE Charlotte, a nonprofit organization created by professional women who are single parents, are organizing an ice cream social to brighten the day of the 120 school-age children that reside at Center of Hope in Charlotte, an organization that houses and provides services to homeless women and children. The ladies from InSPIRE Charlotte will serve ice cream sundaes and deliver school supplies to the children. If you would like to contribute, you can send school supplies and/or monetary donations to InSPIRE Charlotte, attn: Mashea Miller, P.O. Box 1316 Davidson, NC 28036; or contact  the organization at inspirecharlotte@gmail.com. meetup.com/inspirecharlotte.

And in other back-to-school news, CMS employees received an enthusiastic boost of encouragement during their pep rally yesterday at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Post by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

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National Volunteer Week Underway, Culminates Locally With Hands On Charlotte Day

I didn't realize this was National Volunteer Week (April 6-12) until I saw a couple of tweets last night on the topic. It's held annually in April, but the week ranges from year to year--sometimes it's near the beginning of April, sometimes at the end--so it tends to creep up (read the Presidential Proclamation for National Volunteer Week 2014). But now that I know--and you know--that it's underway, what are we going to do about it?

Fortunately, in Charlotte, we have Hands On Charlotte, a nonprofit volunteer service organization that makes it easy to get involved in the community throughout the year. HOC coordinates volunteers to help homeless families, guide at-risk youth, tutor disadvantaged children, feed the hungry, care for the environment, and more. The organization keeps a running calendar of volunteer events, in partnership with other local organizations, for which you can sign up.

Photos credit: facebook.com/handsoncharlotte

And its own signature community service event is Hands On Charlotte Day, taking place for the 22nd year, this Saturday, April 12. On HOC Day, as many as 1,000 volunteers spend the day working on projects across the city, ranging from sorting donated clothing and landscaping Charlotte schools to clearing neighborhood debris and repairing nature trails. If you want to participate, you need to register by April 10; and the sooner you register, the more likely you are to get the service project you want. Children and teenagers are allowed to participate at many of the volunteer projects, so you can make it a philanthropic outing for the whole family (pull those brats away from the Xbox).

You'll only have to spend about three hours of your time Saturday morning volunteering, and then you can spend that afternoon at VBGB Beer Hall and Garden for the "after-party" with other HOC Day volunteers.

You'll find all the details at handsoncharlotte.org.

According to Points of Light:

National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals. National Volunteer Week is about taking action and encouraging individuals and their respective communities to be at the center of social change – discovering and actively demonstrating their collective power to make a difference.

Amen to that.

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Robin Emmons, of Sow Much Good, Is a 2013 CNN Hero

For the last few months, one each week, CNN has been unveiling its 2013 CNN Heroes--"everyday people changing the world." Thousands of submissions were sent in from around the globe, and 24 people have been chosen as heroes (a few more are left to be revealed). This week's CNN Hero is Robin Emmons, founder and executive director of Sow Much Good, a nonprofit organization that's working to eliminate urban food deserts in Charlotte by providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and educating people about healthy lifestyles, among other things.

I've seen and read about Robin's work for the last couple of years, and she and her team have done a great job of spreading their message and reaching the people who most need their help. But as the CNN article on Robin points out, more than 72,000 people in Charlotte lack access to fresh produce. So she has a lot of ground to cover, just in this city alone. And they're doing it. The video below shows a few examples of how Sow Much Good, now with 200 volunteers, has grown more than 26,000 pounds of fresh produce for local underserved communities.

It's one thing to not eat healthy because that's your choice, but it's another to eat unhealthy foods because you can't afford or don't have access to better food. That's often the case for people in low-income neighborhoods, who end up eating most of their meals from dollar menus at fast food restaurants, and do much of their grocery shopping at gas station convenience stores.

On Thursday, October 10, CNN will reveal the Top 10 CNN Heroes of the year, with each receiving $50,000. As you've likely seen in years past, the top 10 will be featured on the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute telecast this fall, and the person selected as CNN Hero of the Year will receive an additional $250,000 to continue his/her work. During the tribute show, the heroes are each introduced by celebrities.

Let's hope that Robin Emmons is selected as one of the top 10. But even being chosen as one of the 24 heroes is already an incredible accomplishment. Get all the details by visiting CNNHeroes.com.

Sow Much Good, sowmuchgood.org, facebook.com/SowMuchGood, twitter.com/SowMuchGood.

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This Food Video Should Go Viral

I came across a video on YouTube tonight that I think should go viral. It won't, though (it doesn't feature a new dance craze, adorable baby doing something funny, or stupid human/bizarre animal trick). But that won't stop me from sharing it, and telling you why it's so awesome.

It's an inspiring video showcasing a little bit of the great work being done every day in the Charlotte area by Friendship Trays, a nonprofit organization that prepares and delivers meals to elderly or disabled people who are unable to prepare their own meals. Friendship Trays grew from the good deeds of a handful of local churches more than 35 years ago, to operating its own kitchen facility and now utilizing more than 100 volunteers each weekday. Yet, many of you have never heard of this organization.

The video is actually a part of the Good Morning Charlotte series, in which each video shows beautiful scenes of Charlotte--the cityscape and landscape--followed by Friendship Tray staff and volunteers preparing and packaging meals for delivery. You can't help but feel good from watching this.

And if you want to do more than feel good, the organization holds a monthly Breakfast Tour at its Distribution Street facility for people interested in volunteering to learn more about the program. The next tour is Thursday, April 18, 8:30-9:30 a.m.

Visit www.friendshiptrays.org.

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When A Community Comes Together

I'm constantly reminded of how there are so many people in Charlotte who are working, volunteering, donating, and doing many great things to help address one of the most challenging issues of our time: how to provide a quality education and learning environment for all children.

I attended a luncheon not quite three weeks ago that the Charlotte Chamber put on at Ballantyne Hotel. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' new superintendent, Dr. Heath Morrison, was the guest speaker. Of the many memorable and encouraging remarks by Dr. Morrison (click here, here, here, here, and here for some of my then-live tweets), one of the things I concur with the most is when he said: I've never seen a business community so ready to roll up its sleeves to help education the way Charlotte does.

A shining example of that was the second annual Back to School Youth EmpowHERment Summit a few weeks ago, put on by T.I.M.E. (Taking Initiative Moving Efficiently), and led by Carrie Cook. I had the privilege of dropping in for the afternoon portion of the all-day event. Carrie rounded up sponsors, presenters, volunteers, entertainment, and more to present an impactful experience to 100 Charlotte girls in grades seventh through 12th. Carrie, since 2009, has worked as a regional liaison for U.S. Senator Kay Hagan, leading the Charlotte office and 14-county area, but it's the many hours of her personal time she devotes to the community, through events like the summit, that is most impressive.

Carrie Cook.

"I already had a passion for working with young girls, but something was saying to me to do more," Carrie says, regarding why she launched the Youth EmpowHERment Summit in 2011. "They need to see that there are a lot of positive, dynamic women in the Charlotte community that they can look to as role models. Because when they look on TV, their role models are [on] Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, and Real Housewives, and Basketball Wives. They need to see that there are women in the community who are roboticists, and engineers, and authors, and professors, nurses, and everything else we had on the panel... But more important than those occupations, these women are servant leaders."

Click here to see hundreds of photos from the Youth EmpowHERment Summit.
Photos by Jon Strayhorn/Media Arts Collective. 

Here are a few upcoming back-to-school events that further exemplify the great efforts by local volunteers, community leaders, and organizations. Please show your support.

Back to School Bash—New Life 91.9
Wednesday, August 22, 6:30-8 p.m. | Stumptown Park, 120 S. Trade St., Matthews
New Life 91.9 presents this event in support of A Child's Place, featuring a performance by contemporary Christian singer Chris August. Price of admission is school supplies for ACP, and you're encouraged to bring blankets and folding chairs to enjoy an evening in the park. Vendors will be selling food, and you're allowed to bring your own food and drinks (alcohol not permitted).

Back to School Bash—Prodigal Son Foundation
Saturday, August 25, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. | Ray’s Splash Planet, 215 N. Sycamore St.
The Prodigal Son Foundation, in association with Glam23 PR & Events, is putting on this event for the third consecutive year. School supplies will be given away, while kids will also be treated to fun activities. The event will take place on the field, the gym, and inside the actual splash park. It’s free to the public, with the first 50 kids being allowed to swim for free between 10:30 a.m. and noon, and a $6 fee for anyone else inside the splash park. If you would like to sponsor or donate to this event, email lwray@prodigalsonfoundation.org or call 704-942-8381.

Cuttin' Class: Community Hair Cutting Day
Saturday, August 25, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | No Grease! Barbershop, 1531 Central Ave.
No Grease and The It Factor Media Group present this event twice a year as kids prepare to go back to school (the other is in January after the holiday break). Boys will be given free haircuts, and boys and girls will receive book bags and school supplies. NBA players will also be present to sign autographs, and complimentary refreshments will be served. RSVP at ff@theitfactormedia.com.

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Hip Hop Caucus Charlotte Holding Respect My Vote! Volunteer Training Saturday, June 16

The Hip Hop Caucus Charlotte Leadership Committee is holding a volunteer training session for the 2012 Respect My Vote! campaign this Saturday, June 16, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Urban League of Central Carolinas (740 W. Fifth St.). This is your opportunity to get involved in the community and have a positive impact on voter turnout in this fall's election.

The Hip Hop Caucus is a national nonprofit organization, based in Washington D.C., and Respect My Vote! is its nonpartisan voter registration, mobilization, and education campaign targeting young people between the ages of 18 and 40, supported by a national coalition of two dozen organizations as well as leadership committees in cities like Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, and more. It doesn't matter what political party you support, whether you lean left or right, if you value the importance of voting and educating yourself on candidates and policies, then you should register to be a volunteer to help spread that message to others. Respect My Vote! isn't about telling people who to vote for, but to encourage them to vote and helping them to register--millions of people don't exercise this important constitutional right, especially young adults.

Credit: facebook.com/hiphopcaucus

The Hip Hop Caucus Charlotte will hold some exciting and informative community events in the coming months (some hosted by celebrities) that you can be part of the planning for. Click here to sign up for Saturday's volunteer training. I hope to see you there.

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Be a Harambee Reader to Children this Summer

About six months ago I learned of a great nonprofit organization in Charlotte called Freedom School Partners. FSP helps children succeed in school and in life by offering educational enrichment programs, and it partners with numerous community organizations. Notably, it offers the Children Defense Fund's Freedom Schools summer programs to improve academic achievement, reduce dropout rates, and inspire the love of reading.

There's a way you can contribute by giving just a little bit of your time. Freedom School Partners is seeking members of the community to come read aloud at Harambee (Kiswahili for “Let’s Pull Together”). You'd help children in the summer programs start a day off right by being a Harambee Reader and sharing the gift of reading with them. All you have to do is volunteer 30 minutes of your time to read to a group of Freedom School scholars, ages five to 14 years old. The reading time is offered between Tuesdays and Fridays, 8:30-9 a.m., during the six-week program, June 18 to July 27. You only have to pick one time to come out--or more if you'd like. There are 25 locations around Charlotte to choose from, so you'll likely find one that's close to where you live or work.

FSP can provide you with a book or you can bring your own. You can also share a little about yourself, maybe talk about the work you do, tell them why reading is important and fun--anything to help motivate and inspire them.

The summer Freedom School locations are: Allenbrook Elementary, Ashley Park PreK-8 School, Avondale Presbyterian Church, Bethlehem Center at Winterfield Elementary, Billingsville Elementary, Bruns Academy, W.G. Byers School, Christ Lutheran Church, CN Jenkins Presbyterian Church, Druid Hills Academy, Eastover Elementary, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, The Grove, Highland Renaissance Academy, Johnson C. Smith University, Montclaire Elementary, Providence Day School, Quail Hollow Middle, Ranson Middle, Sedgefield Elementary, Seigle Point, Shalom Park, Statesville Elementary, Thomasboro Academy, and UNC Charlotte.

Click here to become a Harambee Reader. There you'll find a Google calendar where you can select a site and date to read. Then you'll need to email Kim Dickerson, Harambee coordinator, at kim@freedomschoolpartners.org with your selection to sign up.

I'm signing up and I hope you will too!

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Charlotte Organizations Hosting Free Workshops to Honor National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day this Saturday

See the press release below and please support this important cause.

RAIN’s Trinity Project, The Red Pump Project, and CW Williams Community Health Center invite mothers, daughters, and girlfriends of the Queen City to come out for free self-empowerment, HIV/AIDS awareness and education workshops, and HIV/AIDS testing Saturday, March 10 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 501 N. Tryon Street (click here to register). In addition to scheduled workshops, attendees will be motivated by the words of keynote speaker Kimberly Jowers, author of The Heart of Perfecting My Space (PMS)!

Ladies attending are encouraged to wear (or bring) a pair of red pumps to enter the Red Pump Shoe Contest, hosted by The Red Pump Project, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness and education about HIV/AIDS specifically aimed at women and girls. Photos of those in the contest will be posted on The Red Pump Project’s Facebook page. The Red Pump Project’s Facebook friends will vote for their favorite pair of pumps and the top five with the most likes will participate in the Red Carpet Walk Off. The crowd will choose the final winner, who will receive a Red Pump Gift Pack.

“HIV/AIDS is a serious public health issue,” said Geneva Galloway program director of Community Services at RAIN. “More importantly, it is a serious health issue for women, particularly women of color.” 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2009, 57 percent of total new HIV infections among women were among black women and 18 percent were in Latina women. The rate of new HIV infections among black women was 15 times as high as that of white women and more than 3 times as high as that of Latina women during that year. The reasons why black and Latina women are more affected by HIV and AIDS than that of other racial and ethnic groups are not directly related to race or ethnicity, but rather to the circumstances that place these women and girls at greater risk of becoming infected with HIV. These circumstances may include stigma, fear, discrimination, and limited access to high-quality health care.

“Limited access to high-quality health care plays a major role in why minority women are impacted by the effects of HIV/AIDS at higher rates,” said Elizabeth Kirk, program manager for CW Williams’ HIV/AIDS Program. “Many times some providers will not provide care for those infected with HIV/AIDS. CW Williams provides comprehensive health care for women, infants, children, and youth who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. We provide services to those with and without health insurance, making sure they receive comprehensive quality primary and infectious disease care.”

CW Williams will be on-site to provide information on their HIV/AIDS Program and other health services. 

This event is just one of many that will be held around the country to honor National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10, a national awareness day coordinated by the Office on Women’s Health (OWH), within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its goal is to encourage people to take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS and raise awareness of its impact on women and girls. This National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, OWH is partnering with the Greater Than AIDS campaign and asking, “What’s your deciding moment?” According to Greater Than AIDS, deciding moments are everyday opportunities to take action against HIV, whether it is getting tested, talking with friends and family, using condoms, practicing abstinence, or taking medications as directed.

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#RespectMyVote, #Selma Bring Attention Today to Voting Rights; 2012 Campaign Launches April 4

The Hip Hop Caucus' Charlotte Leadership Committee is engaging the community in a social media campaign today to bring awareness to protecting voting rights and the importance of registering to vote. If you're on Twitter, please follow hashtags #RespectMyVote and #Selma and tweet your support (even if you don't have a Twitter account you can click on the links and read what's being said). You can also read about the effort in an article published today by Qcitymetro.com.

The Hip Hop Caucus is a national nonprofit organization, based in Washington D.C. and led by Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., with more than 650,000 supporters across all 50 states. Respect My Vote is its nonpartisan voter registration, mobilization, and education campaign targeting young people between the ages of 18 and 40. In regards to the Selma hashtag, today, March 7, is the anniversary of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March, also known as Bloody Sunday, when several hundred voting rights activists and Civil Rights leaders attempted a 54-mile march but were met with force and brutality by the police. The efforts of these brave souls, however, would help lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Honoring important historical events such as this isn't about opening old wounds or harping on our country's ugly past of race relations. Instead it's about reminding young people today not to take our liberties, freedoms, and rights for granted because people literally died for them. In regards to voting rights in particular, we should both understand the importance of voting and educate ourselves on who and what we're voting for: North Carolina's Primary is May 8; get Charlotte/Mecklenburg County info here.

Also, on this week's episode of 282, one of our guests is Rod Garvin, member of the Hip Hop Caucus Charlotte Leadership Committee. He talks about honoring the Selma event and details the national 2012 Respect My Vote campaign that's launching April 4. (In the episode we also talk about the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners upcoming vacant three at-large seats with guest Amanda Raymond from the League of Women Voters. But it isn't all politics this week--we also feature John Morgan, who's leading an effort to replace the Bobcats name and bring the Hornets mascot back to Charlotte's NBA team).

In coming weeks, I'll provide more details on how you can get involved with the Respect My Vote campaign in Charlotte.

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2 Videos, 1 Dead Teen, Gang Violence Continues

If you have teenage sons, nephews, brothers, or--equally important--are concerned about the environment in which so many of our kids are growing up, you should watch these two videos below.

You've likely seen the first one. It went viral in January, and shows an uncle beating his teenage nephew with a belt. The uncle was outraged that his nephew had been on Facebook glorifying and claiming to be in a gang. So in an attempt to discipline--and it's safe to say, embarrass--the kid, the elder recorded a minute-long video and forced his nephew to denounce gang activity. I, like millions of people, watched this video nearly a year ago when I saw it posted online. It was shared over several days on Facebook and other social media sites, sparking much debate as to whether the uncle had gone too far. Some commended the uncle for doing what he thought was necessary to keep his nephew from going down a dangerous path. Others believed the uncle should've handled it differently. And some even found the video funny.

Well, unfortunately, in this second video, this time a news clip, it tells how 16-year-old Michael Taylor was shot and killed last week outside of his home in Terrytown, Louisiana. Michael is the same kid who was in the viral video nearly a year ago being disciplined by his uncle. According to a story by news station WDSU, Michael's family believes his glorification of gang life, which apparently had continued, might have led to his death. Yesterday, police arrested a 21-year-old suspect in the killing.

Both videos are embedded below, with the older one first, and you should watch them in that order.

After our young people have been slain over senseless violence, it's too late to say you wish you would've done more. We need to acknowledge that this is happening far too often in predominantly black neighborhoods and schools, and not show a lack of concern if it isn't our kids or if we don't live in one of those neighborhoods.

We also need to stop condoning rap music and rappers who glorify gang life in their music, which has surged over the last few years. I've seen firsthand how kids will wear red bandannas (they call them flags) and holler "su woo" because Lil Wayne or Game does it. Those rappers will say that they aren't concerned about being role models and it's the parents' job to raise their kids. That's true, but that's also why I don't buy Lil Wayne or Game's CDs anymore. See how easy that is.

For Charlotte, below are a few organizations (click on the links) in which you can get involved to try to make a difference in a young boy's (or girl's) life, so hopefully he doesn't end up like Michael.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Charlotte
• Communities in Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg
• MeckTeens

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'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' Returning to Charlotte Area, Volunteers Needed

Production for ABC's acclaimed Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is returning to the Charlotte area in December, with local builder Bellamy Homes selected to oversee the construction. The builder and the show are currently organizing the local efforts and you can get involved.

To get the community excited about this opportunity to build a new home for a family in need, there will be a pep rally on December 1, 7 p.m. at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont (only 20 minutes from Uptown Charlotte). The event will be hosted by KISS 95.1's Otis and Brittney of The O Show, and you'll meet the builders and members of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team. The Carolina Panthers' TopCats will also be on hand and there will be ticket and prize giveaways. Admission to the pep rally is free but seating is limited. Get more details at www.bellamyhomes.com/extreme-makeover-home-edition.

The actual location of the build will be announced on December 11. You can get involved as a volunteer--the project needs more than 3,000 volunteers for general labor, food servers, and clean-up workers, as well as skilled trade professionals. The reason so many people are needed is because the entire build will be completed in one week, and all products and labor will be donated by partnering trades and suppliers. The episode will air next year in a two-hour broadcast on ABC. Get more details at www.joinextreme.com/nc.

The most recent time I recall Extreme Makeover being in Charlotte is 2008, when the show built a new home for the King family in the Windsor Park neighborhood. As you can see in the before-and-after photo below, and as is usually the case, the new home was a drastic improvement.

[Source]

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Jon Beason and Harris Teeter Team for Thanksgiving

Carolina Panthers star player Jon Beason has been on the sidelines since September with a torn left Achilles tendon, but that's not going to stop him from doing a little lifting for the holiday season. The All-Pro linebacker is partnering with Harris Teeter to assemble 2,000 Harvest Feast Thanksgiving bags to benefit local families in need.

The philanthropic deed takes place Tuesday, November 15 at Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (500B Spratt Street), beginning with a press conference at 1 p.m., followed by the bag assembly at 1:30 p.m. Harris Teeter is donating enough food for the Panthers player and Harris Teeter associates to assemble 2,000 Thanksgiving dinner bags.

Follow him on Twitter @jonbeason. Photo via panthers.com

After filling the bags, Jon and company will then make a stop at the Boys & Girls Club Marsh Road to personally distribute some of them to children and their families. Each Thanksgiving bag will feed a family of four, containing cranberry sauce, corn, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, a two-liter Coca-Cola, pie, rolls, and ham.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina will identify and distribute the Thanksgiving bags to emergency pantries throughout its 19-county region before the holiday. Emergency pantries and soup kitchens are reporting 30 to 40 percent increases in requests for assistance over this time last year. Click here for more details on the November 15 event.

You can help families in need by contributing to Harris Teeter's Harvest Feast Food Drive and Donation Card Campaign, through November 29. Click here for more details on this drive.

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MENCONNECT Kick-Off Breakfast this Saturday

The MENCONNECT 2011-2012 Kick-Off Breakfast takes place this Saturday, October 22 and if you're an adult male in Charlotte who wants to volunteer as a mentor or tutor to make a positive difference in a young boy's life, then you should come see what this program is all about. You'll be served a free, delicious breakfast so what do you have to lose? The event takes place 10-11:30 a.m. at the Charlotte Scottish Rite Building, 4740 Randolph Road.

MENCONNECT is an initiative of Communities In Schools that creates opportunities for positive males in the community to connect with students at four local schools--Berryhill School, Druid Hills Academy, Hidden Valley Elementary, and Thomasboro Academy--to develop long-term mentoring relationships.

I started volunteering with the program last spring when I began mentoring a fourth grader at Druid Hills during the last month and a half of the school year. I would come to his school and have lunch with him once a week. I found that time I spent with him to be very rewarding and not demanding on my schedule at all, and I have continued to be his lunch buddy this school year.

I plan to attend the breakfast this Saturday and hope that several of you will join me there.

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Great News Story On Mentoring In Charlotte

The latest story in FOX Charlotte's "Reboot Charlotte" series is about mentoring youth ("More People Are Mentoring"). If you aren't familiar with the series, "Reboot Charlotte" is the news station's ongoing chronicling of the city as it "emerges from the recession and is thrust onto the world stage with the Democratic National Convention." The segment on mentoring captures an important piece of Charlotte's great philanthropic culture.

FOX Charlotte anchor Morgan Fogarty tells the story of how local people are giving more of their time, at a time when it's more difficult for some to give money. If you've ever volunteered as a mentor to a young person then you likely agree that time is the most valuable thing you can give.

One of the people Morgan interviewed is Katie Black, a wonderful, caring woman who mentors at Druid Hills Elementary School and is actually the person who recruited me. Thanks to Katie, I began mentoring a fourth grader at Druid Hills during the last six weeks of the school year--meeting with him for one hour a week during his lunch and recess period. I plan to continue to be his "lunch buddy" during this upcoming school year. If you would like to learn more about this program, which is a part of Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, email me and I'll gladly tell you more about it: JarvisH@grownpeopletalking.com. Druid Hills is being expanded from K-5 to K-8 this upcoming school year, so the mentoring program will certainly need more volunteers. It only requires a little of your time and makes a big difference.

Katie Black discusses her mentoring program with Morgan Fogarty.

Another person Morgan interviewed is Brian Willis, president of 100 Black Men of Charlotte, which has the Movement of Youth mentoring program. Brian has a great part in the news clip where he says, "They ask you two questions in Charlotte: what church do you go to and where do you volunteer? And if you don't have an answer, then your conversation is pretty short in this city." I agree wholeheartedly. I've attended several meetings and events during the last six months or so where some very successful people were present and they talked about the importance of volunteering, mentoring, or just overall making a positive difference in the community. We're seeing this come together in a big way with Project L.I.F.T., for example.

Watch the four-minute news video below (or click here to view it).

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Drive to End Hunger Made Easy

Last week, I received a brown paper bag in my mailbox. It was part of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, in which the Drive to End Hunger campaign teamed up with the National Association of Letter Carriers to present the nation’s largest single-day food drive. The instructions on the bag said that if I wanted to donate non-perishable food items that I should place them in the bag, then leave the bag by my mailbox and on Saturday, May 14 my postman would pick it up and deliver it to a local food bank.

So on Saturday, I took a few minutes to go through my pantry. Seeing how my bro and I have a bachelor's pad, I can't say I had an awful lot of food to choose from. But once I threw away all the things that had expired, I managed to pull together six cans of vegetables, two boxes of Hamburger Helper, a box of mashed potatoes, and a bag of grits to put in the hunger bag. You know I had to believe in this cause to part with my grits. After the postman collected the bag on Saturday, she left a postcard in my mailbox from the organization thanking me.

It always feels good to help those less fortunate. And the fact that this food drive took very little effort on my part, means I had no excuse not to participate. I hope many of you participated if you received a bag in your mailbox. If not, or if you would like to contribute more, go to drivetoendhunger.org to find out about different ways you can make contributions or volunteer.

You might be familiar with Drive to End Hunger, which is run by the AARP, since NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon became one of the lead spokesmen earlier this year. You can see his #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet at the NASCAR races taking place at Charlotte Motor Speedway these next two weekends.

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Get Involved Charlotte: Urban League and Big Brothers Big Sisters

Here are two opportunities for you to get involved with organizations that are working to create brighter futures for our youth.

The Urban League of Central Carolinas needs tutors for math, reading, and social studies for grade levels 6-12. Tutor/volunteer orientation will be held this Friday, August 6, 8:30 a.m. at the Urban League's office in Uptown, 740 W. Fifth St. They can work around your schedule if you're willing to give some of your time to help youth improve in their academics. For more information, email Shannon McKnight at smcknight@urbanleaguecc.org or call Roderic Garner at 704-373-2256 ext. 206.

Then on September 1, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte is teaming with Guardian ad Litem to recruit mentors and child advocates. The recruiting event will be held 5-8 p.m. at Buckhead Saloon, 201 E. Fifth St., and will feature live music and complimentary food and drinks. Plus, if you sign up to be a mentor or child advocate, or refer a friend, you'll be entered to win tickets to the Kings of Leon concert coming next month to Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Click here to RSVP for the September 1 recruiting event.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a well-known organization that has been doing great work for decades. My brother (actual brother) is a Big and has a Little whose 12 years old. The program is looking for Bigs of all kinds, but I know they are often especially in need of black males. Also, Guardian ad Litem is an organization I have dealings with through my work with group home kids. GAL does great work to assist kids one on one who are going through a tough time in the system comprised of family court, social services, counselors, etc.

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Help Charlotte's Population Get Counted

"We can't move forward until you mail it back." Just about everyone has heard that slogan recently on TV or radio commercials for the 2010 U.S. Census. But you'd be surprised at the large number of people who don't mail back the census form.

On Thursday evening, I attended a meeting held by the U.S Census and the Urban League of Central Carolinas that asked organizations to "adopt" Charlotte neighborhoods that had a low response rate during the last census. Organizations and volunteers who adopt one of the "hard-to-count" areas will hold an event on national "March to the Mailbox Day," which is April 10, to encourage their neighbors to return their census form if they haven't already done so.


Hard-to-count areas in Charlotte are made up largely of minority and low-income populations and include neighborhoods along Beatties Ford, Sugar Creek, and Billingsley roads. Figures from the 2000 Census show that nationwide 628,000 blacks were not counted and the non-Hispanic white population was double-counted by approximately 2.2 million.

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Random Notes From United Way Breakfast

This morning I attended a breakfast seminar held by the United Way Young Leaders. The topic was “The Economic Crisis and Its Impact on the Charlotte Community,” led by keynote speaker Matthew Martin, senior vice president of the Charlotte Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Two ladies who represent local nonprofit agencies, Annabelle Suddreth from A Child’s Place and Jane McIntyre from the YWCA Central Carolinas, spoke as well. The breakfast was catered by Hope Haven, a United Way member agency that provides life skills for chemically dependant adults and families.

Martin used a Powerpoint presentation as he went over various economic indicators such as job losses, consumer spending, and new home construction. Even though he's an economist and you would think many of his remarks and figures would go over our heads, they didn't. I think we've all become so in tuned with keeping up with this economic recession as it is reported daily in the media that we fully understand terms like "liquidity" and "consumer confidence." Just about every chart Martin showed looked like it was depicting something falling off a cliff, and much of his data was specific to the Charlotte region. We know that all sectors are down in this economy, but this tutorial was daunting. We're a banktown and the job losses in our local financial industry often dominate the headlines, so I was surprised to learn that more jobs locally have been lost in sectors like manufacturing, construction, and professional services.


Suddreth and McIntyre told personal stories about some of the people their agencies help, how this recession has made life even more difficult for families who were already struggling to make ends meet. One statistic that stayed with me is this: there are currently more than 2,700 homeless children in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Suddreth talked about what life is like for kids who struggle to go to school and have to come home to shelters or live in cars with their families. One great point McIntyre made is that the homeless people we tend to see on the street corner make up only about 15 percent of the homeless population. The rest are hardworking people who are trying to provide for their families. It was staggering to hear about the number of families in Charlotte whose annual household incomes are less than $10,000.

I walked away this morning pledging to get more involved in giving back to the community. The hard times most of us go through pale in comparison to people who don't have food in the house or don't have a house at all. If you want to help out, getting involved with the United Way Young Leaders is a great vehicle. The organization brings together young professionals in the Charlotte area (most under age 40) to volunteer and advocate for health and human service issues. Learn more at www.uwyl.org.

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