Stories
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Importance of Wrap-Around Care
Read more: Importance of Wrap-Around CareBurma 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…
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Giving Young Parents a Brighter Future
Read more: Giving Young Parents a Brighter FutureParenting 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…
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Triangle Community Foundation and United Way of the Greater Triangle Spearhead Regional Reading Proficiency Campaign
Read more: Triangle Community Foundation and United Way of the Greater Triangle Spearhead Regional Reading Proficiency CampaignThe North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF) is partnering with the United Way of the Greater Triangle, Triangle Community Foundation and community coalitions in Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Orange and Wake counties to ensure children are on a pathway to grade-level reading by the end of third grade, giving them the tools to succeed in the…
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One Encounter Changed Him Forever
Read more: One Encounter Changed Him ForeverShe walked into the rural Florida emergency food center on the arm of a disheveled, swaggering man. She was noticeably younger, she didn’t speak, and her gaze only fleetingly raised to meet Tim’s that day. The man she came with did all the talking, and when they left that day, Tim describes that he was…
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Closing the Gap Through Art
Read more: Closing the Gap Through ArtSpending her professional career in public policy and city planning, Carol was no stranger to the opportunity gap, particularly as it related to children and access to cultural resources. But it wasn’t until she retired that she was able to combine this knowledge with her love of the performing arts – singing – to be…
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A Family Commitment to Change
Read more: A Family Commitment to ChangeHow much is enough? That question stuck in Dave’s mind after participating in a JustFaith group at his church, where they met once a week to learn about major issues like hunger, poverty, racism, immigration, and more. He started adding up all of the birthday, anniversary, and holiday gifts that were exchanged in their family…
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Working to Ensure Kids Can Succeed
Read more: Working to Ensure Kids Can SucceedFor a man with a big heart, giving back in his community seems like a natural way to honor his daughter, Julia, who passed away suddenly in 2001. All of his families’ grantmaking is to be reminiscent of her, something she would have been proud of or something that would reflect her. So for Paul,…
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The Push to Merge
Read more: The Push to MergeThe M word. Often suggested by funders recognizing the abundance of nonprofit organizations doing similar work in a community, and equally feared by nonprofit leaders doing that work. Over the last few years, mergers have become a hot topic in the philanthropic world, bringing both their negative connotation of failure, as well as their assumption of ease and necessity.…
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No Easy, Quick Answers in Equity Work
Read more: No Easy, Quick Answers in Equity WorkEquity work isn’t about finding absolute answers to anything. It is about asking questions over and over and over again and making good decisions about how to address particular problems in particular areas through an equity lens. That’s according to Gita Gulati-Partee, Founder of OpenSource Leadership Strategies, who led over 60 fundholders and community leaders…
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Innovation: Changing the Odds
Read more: Innovation: Changing the OddsIt’s hard to move forward when you feel like the odds are stacked against you. This is a feeling teenagers aging out of the foster care system know all too well. They face growing up — finding housing, education and jobs — without the family support others their age can rely on. There are social…
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There is still work to be done, together.
Read more: There is still work to be done, together.I know many things have been written about all that has transpired after November 8. Many opinions and forecasts have been shared, and many questions remain. I’d like to offer this open letter to our community. The morning after the election, I had the opportunity to participate in a ceremony where our nonprofit partner Triangle…
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#equitymatters: Summer Update
Read more: #equitymatters: Summer UpdateThis year, the Foundation has embarked on a journey, working closely with Gita Gulati-Partee and OpenSource Leadership Strategies, to explore how we can do more to help create a more equitable community through philanthropy. We have dedicated a space in our quarterly newsletter to share what we are learning, what we are thinking about, and…