Applications for Neighborhood Board Retreat are now being accepted
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The City of Charlotte’s Neighborhood & Business Services department will host a Neighborhood Board Retreat on Saturday, July 18. The event will be held 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at UNC Charlotte Center City, located at 320 E 9th Street.
The retreat is open to all neighborhood organizations and business or merchant associations in Charlotte city limits. In addition to current board members, participating organizations are encouraged to invite neighbors, business owners, school representatives and nonprofit partners that may help them achieve their goals. Each organization can have five to 15 participants.
Neighborhood Board Retreat attendees will receive:
- A customized Quality of Life Explorer report
- Networking and idea sharing with other community leaders
- Guidance with planning yearly goals and board priorities
- Idea development with trained, experienced facilitators
- Expert support from staff and community resources
- A $1,500 Neighborhood Matching Grant credit incentive for eligible neighborhoods
Capacity is limited. Applicants will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis with priority given to first-time attendees. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Please click here to apply or call 704-336-8409. The deadline to register is June 5.
For more information, please contact Liz Mitchell at 704-336-8409 or enmitchell@charlottenc.gov.
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City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to host Quality of Life Explorer training sessions
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The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County recently released the updated Quality of Life Explorer, an online tool that provides snapshots of social, housing, economic, environmental, health and safety conditions in local neighborhoods.
On Wednesday, June 3, the City and County will host two training sessions at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, located at 600 East 4th Street in Charlotte. Stop by to learn how the Explorer can help you determine neighborhood priorities, plan for the future and connect to resources that will help you take action on issues that matter most to you.
The sessions, which will be held at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., will also feature a tour of the Quality of Life Explorer, examples of how the community is using the tool to drive change, and a hands-on dashboard tutorial.
Interested in learning more?
Check out the Quality of Life Explorer online now: mcmap.org/qol.
You can also contact qualityoflife@charlottenc.gov with questions, or request a customized training for your organization or group at needaspeaker.charmeck.org or 704-336-2175.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council works with local community leaders and volunteers |
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The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council provides local teens with an opportunity to serve their community while preparing for college, their future careers and civic life. In addition to advising leaders, youth council students also take an active role in building knowledge and skills through real-world experiences. They learn about and discuss key issues, understand different perspectives, explore a variety of careers, build leadership and professional skills, and get involved in local government.
During the past year, more than 100 community leaders, volunteers and youth council alumni worked with youth council members on the following activities, which included:
- Providing City of Charlotte, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) and Mecklenburg County leaders with valuable feedback on a variety of topics, including Neighborhood Matching Grants, city planning, school assignment, CMS budget priorities, community data, economic development and social mobility
- Hosting the Board of Education, Charlotte City Council, and Mecklenburg County Commission for a joint dialogue about ways to work together to make our city and schools strong now and for the future
- Creating a student candidate guide and hosting a youth forum for county commission candidates. (They plan to do the same for 2015 elections.)
- Participating in the NC Youth Legislative Assembly in Raleigh to experience the legislative process, learn about different viewpoints and issues and meet student leaders from cities and towns across the state
- Preparing to be informed, engaged youth council members and civic leaders through a new program developed by GenerationNation with help from Leadership Charlotte volunteers
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council is a GenerationNation program in partnership with the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. For more information, contact Amy Farrell at info@GenerationNation.org or 704-343-6999.
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Historic redevelopment brings mixed-income housing to local community
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Last month, City of Charlotte public officials, NoDa neighbors, businesses and advocates joined The Community Builders, Inc. to celebrate the grand opening of The Lofts at NoDa Mills, a 48-unit mixed-income residential development. In 2012, Charlotte City Council approved $1.2 million of Community Development Block Grant funding to assist with the rehabilitation of the former Mecklenburg Mill, which was built in 1903.
Inside the historic building are apartments featuring in-unit washers and dryers and Energy Star-rated appliances. Community amenities include a business center, fitness studio, sunroom/library and two large community spaces where residents can connect with neighbors. The Lofts at NoDa Mills offers studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments with rents ranging from $500 to $775 per month.
Want to learn more about the The Lofts at NoDa Mills? Click here to see how the old Mecklenburg Mill was brought back to life.
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Mayor celebrates international contributions and philanthropy with awards ceremony
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Congratulations to the winners of the Mayor's International Cabinet Awards (MICA), an annual ceremony that recognizes the many contributions of the international community in the Charlotte region.
Corporate winners at the awards event included:
- Small Business: Linet (Czech Republic)
- Medium Business: LensCrafters (Italy)
- Large Business: Domtar (Canada)
Catherine Hansen, the first Chief of Protocol for the City of Charlotte, received the Richard Vinroot International Achievement Award for her role as the head of the North Carolina Consular Corps, as well as her commitment to creating a strong bond between Mecklenburg County and the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
Hilda H. Gurdian was presented with the Patrick McCrory International Entrepreneur Award. As the publisher of La Noticia, the leading Spanish-language newspaper in North Carolina, Gurdian was recognized for embodying the spirit of an internationally-minded entrepreneur.
The Global Leader Award was presented to Klaus and Concha Becker, who were praised for being exemplary role models by not only being successful entrepreneurs, but by also actively working to bring international educational, cultural, and business opportunities to our region.
MICA is sponsored by the Charlotte International Cabinet as a collaborative program with the Office of the Mayor and the Office of International Relations. For more information, visit www.charlotteinternational.org.
Top left to right: Klaus Becker, Global Leader Award Winner; Mayor Dan Clodfelter, host of the event; Dick Thomas, Domtar, Foreign-Owned Business winner in the large category; Dianne Gallagher, WCCB-NBC Charlotte and host of the event; Larken Egelston, Chairman of the Charlotte International Cabinet
Bottom left to right: Hilda H. Gurdian, Patrick McCrory International Entrepreneur Award winner; Concha Becker, Global Leader Award winner; Susan Jackson, LensCrafters, Foreign-Owned Business winner in the medium category; Colin Bain, Foreign-Owned Business winner in the small category
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Local small businesses honored at Crowns of Enterprise Awards ceremony
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In celebration of Charlotte’s Small Business Month, three local small businesses were honored at the fourth annual Charlotte-Mecklenburg Crowns of Enterprise Awards ceremony. Hosted by the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, awards were presented to the Small Business Enterprise of the Year, Minority Business Enterprise of the Year, and Woman Business Enterprise of the Year.
During the ceremony, Julio Colmenares with CGR Creative was presented with the Small Business Enterprise of the Year award. CGR Creative is a full-service marketing and advertising agency in Charlotte with more than 12 years of experience.
Lee Ratliff with Professional Security Services (PSS) received the Minority Business Enterprise of the Year award. The minority-owned company provides professionally-trained, uniformed security officers for office buildings, banks, business parks, shopping centers, and other various locations, to ensure overall safety of people and property.
Additionally, Michelle Menard with Choice Translating, Inc., was recognized as the Woman Business Enterprise of the Year. Choice Translating is a full service linguistic agency that provides translation, software and website localization, desktop publishing, voice-overs and interpreting services in 200 languages.
For more information, visit CharlotteBusinessResources.com.
Left to Right: County Commissioner Ella B. Scarborough; Julio Colmenares, owner of CGR Creative; Michelle Menard, owner of Choice Translating, Inc.; Lee Ratliff, owner of Professional Security Services; Mayor Pro Tem Michael Barnes; Kenston J. Griffin, event emcee and CEO of Dream Builders Communication, Inc.; County Commissioner Vilma Leake
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