Madison Park

From March 1 to May 31, Keep Charlotte Beautiful (KCB) will participate in Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup, the country’s largest community improvement program.

In celebration of the Charlotte edition of the Great American Cleanup, KCB will host six local cleanup events, all of which will be held 9 a.m. to noon and will start at the following meeting locations: 

• The Greater Enderly Park Litter Cleanup
  Saturday, March 14
  Enderly Park
  1501 Enderly Road
  
  
• Eastway-Sheffield Litter Cleanup
  Saturday, March 21
  Eastway Middle School
  1501 Norland Road
  
  
• Ridge Road Litter Cleanup
  Saturday, April 18
  Ridge Road Middle School
  7260 Highland Creek Parkway
  
  
• Oaklawn Park Litter Cleanup
  Saturday, April 18
  Meeting location to be determined

• Little Sugar Creek Stream Cleanup
  Saturday, May 2
  Cordelia Park
  2100 North Davidson Street
  
  
• Grier Heights Neighborhood Cleanup
  Saturday, May 16
  Billingsville Elementary School
  124 Skyland Avenue

Local residents who are interested in participating in the Great American Cleanup are also encouraged to organize their own event by hosting a tree planting party, adopting a local stream or city street, cleaning up a field that has become an illegal dump site, collecting recyclables on their block and more. KCB will provide trash bags, litter pickers and safety vests to groups that organize their own Great American Cleanup event.

For more information, visit kcb.charmeck.org or the organization's Great American Cleanup webpage to register for one of the events.

In celebration of Charlotte’s Small Business Month, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are now accepting nominations for the 2015 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Crowns of Enterprise Awards. The Crowns of Enterprise Awards serves as a catalyst to recognize and honor small businesses that are demonstrating exemplary leadership and sound business strategies.

Businesses interested in being considered should submit an awards nomination form by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 20. You can download the 2015 Crowns of Enterprise application at crowns.charmeck.org.

Categories
There will be three awards presented in the following categories:

• Small Business Enterprise (SBE) of the Year (Current City SBE certification required)
• Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) of the Year (Current State of NC HUB MBE certification required)
• Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) of the Year (Current State of NC HUB MBE certification required) 
  
  

Award recipients will receive:

• Recognition at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Crowns of Enterprise Awards networking reception
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg 2015 Crowns of Enterprise Award to display in their place of business
• Recognition as an award recipient on the following websites: City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County MWSBE and Charlotte Business Resources
• Marketing exposure as recipient of the 2015 Crowns of Enterprise Award
  
  

Are you interested in showcasing your company and industry to thousands of local high school students?

The Charlotte Career Discovery Day, a partnership between the City of Charlotte’s Mayor’s Youth Employment Program and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, will be held 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 22, 2015. This event will provide thousands of local students with an opportunity to explore careers in the following fields:

• Finance
• Health Sciences
• Human Services
• Local Government
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

Local businesses are encouraged to sign up as an event vendor and create interactive displays and experiences that will give the students a glimpse into their industry. 

For more information, visit the Charlotte Career Discovery Day webpage or contact Community Learning & Development Specialist Steve Wood at swood@charlottenc.gov.

Hurry! The vendor registration period ends March 15!

Housing Our Heroes

On Nov. 11, 2014, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County accepted The Mayor’s Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness.

Take a look at this video to see how this initiative has changed the life of one of our local veterans.

Upcoming Events

Neighborhood Matching Grants Pre-application Workshop
6 p.m.
Thursday, March 12
Old City Hall
600 East Trade Street

The Greater Enderly Park Litter Cleanup
9 a.m. to noon
Saturday, March 14
The Greater Enderly Park
1501 Enderly Road

Charlotte Career Discovery Day Vendor Registration Deadline
Sunday, March 15

Crowns of Enterprise Nomination Deadline
Friday, March 20

Eastway-Sheffield Litter Cleanup
9 a.m. to noon
Saturday, March 21
Eastway Middle School
1501 Norland Road

Earth Hour
8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 28 

Earth Hour scheduled for March 28

At 8:30 p.m. on March 28, join millions of people  around the world and celebrate Earth Hour by turning off your lights.

Earth Hour is a worldwide grassroots movement that unites people to take action for the planet. The movement has inspired hundreds of millions of people and organizations in more than 162 countries and territories.

For more information about Earth Hour, visit earthhour.org.