Community Development
Nailed It! Our Build Day with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County
Written by Mitchell Moravec, Donor Engagement Officer On February 5th, Triangle Community Foundation had the privilege and honor of co-sponsoring Habitat for Humanity of Orange County’s “Opening Doors” summit – a semi-annual gathering of likeminded folks who came together to discuss the realities around building and funding affordable housing. President and CEO of the Orange…
Care for all: Vidas De Esperanza
We all want to go to the doctor when we’re sick, injured, or for regular checkups, but not everyone has access to medical care due to resources, lack of access to healthcare, or circumstances. It was with this in mind that Vidas De Esperanza, a local nonprofit health clinic, was founded. Ten years ago when…
Confronting Poverty by Honoring Human Dignity
Up the stairs and around a corner, a hallway echoes with a child’s chatter and a mother’s hushed tones. Members sit waiting to get groceries, checking in with each other, and chatting with volunteers, who come to offer a hand. A peek inside Chapel Hill’s former Town Hall reveals a vibrant network of staff, volunteers,…
Winning the Lottery: Connecting with Barker French
W. Barker French is perfectly at ease sitting in a blue plastic school chair at East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI). His comfort is understandable; for the past eight years, French has spent lot of time with EDCI, volunteering first as a founding member and now as Board Chair of the organization. French and his EDCI…
The Gift of Land
“I am sure everyone can find their equilibrium between enjoying life and philanthropy,” says Ish Sud. It’s about making choices. It’s differentiating between what is important and what is not. It’s perhaps spending judiciously on larger items, sacrificing symbols of status, and contributing the cost difference to charity while still being able to enjoy a…
Busting Myths and Making Change
It’s a gray Friday morning, but the East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI) halls are bright with color and song. Over the muffled chorus of the children’s song “Baby Shark”, David Reese and Barker French share the core beliefs that steer their incredibly successful organization. EDCI’s mission is to create a pipeline of high-quality services, from…
20/20 Sisters of Vision: Improving Quality of Life for All Women
20/20 Sisters of Vision have never hesitated in helping the women and families of their community. As a giving circle of women of color, their mission is to empower women and families in local and global communities by enabling them to improve their quality of life in health, education, economic development, and spirituality. It all…
Tackling Systemic Homelessness Together
With your help, we have granted $642,450 to community development organizations through Fund for the Triangle since FY 2013-2014 Lack of affordable housing, financial insecurity, and systemic unemployment are intersecting crises of global proportions. While Chapel Hill and Durham’s dearth of affordable housing is typical of most U.S. cities, Community Empowerment Fund’s (CEF) approach to…
RACE: Fostering Empathy
What does the word “race” mean to you? At the start of summer, Foundation staff and board members spent an afternoon reflecting on that question and more, as we toured the RACE exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh. As a part of our ongoing work on equity, both externally…
Mental Illness: The Person Behind a Diagnosis
Mental illness was a barrier that kept Brent Parrish from reading fluently. His childhood education didn’t address his mental health and kept him from reaching his full potential. Parrish, who is in his 50’s, watched President Barack Obama’s farewell address in January, and he didn’t understand some of the complex topics. He wanted to know…
Importance of Wrap-Around Care
Burma Spinks first came to the White Oak Foundation looking for help for her 87-year-old mother. But she ended up finding a community of support for herself as well. Spinks, who is currently in her 60s, and her mother visited the Foundation’s food pantry and attended many of the Senior Days Out. Her mother can’t…
Giving Young Parents a Brighter Future
Parenting a child while in high school makes college seem out of reach. But Beth Harrington got a boost when she needed it most — a scholarship that opened doors to higher education and a better life for her son, Nathan. The de Grange Scholarship paid for two years at Durham Technical Community College and…