The Relatives’ Family Update – January 2020

Please ensure you scroll down to read all of the recent stories in this month’s newsletter. If you would like to be added to our email distribution please email your information to development@therelatives.org.

Meet Amber.

Amber has been a part of The Relatives family since she was 16. She first came to our youth crisis center when she found herself homeless. Escaping an abusive and unsupportive family, she ended up sleeping in a 24-hour Harris Teeter. When she was approached by an employee, she knew she wanted to change her life for the better.

Luckily, The Relatives stepped in. We welcomed her with open arms and ensured she was safe. Upon leaving the crisis center, Amber began attending workshops at our On Ramp resource center, where she was able to connect with a transition specialist. Over time, Amber has finally felt what it means to be embraced for who she is and encouraged to strive for her dreams. She received the one-on-one support she needed to become a thriving adult.

Even with all the resources available within our programs, and all the support given from our dedicated staff and volunteers, we still rely on the help of community partners. This is where HOAR Construction was able to become a part of Amber’s story. HOAR Construction started out as a neighbor, then became a sponsor of our annual breakfast, and is now helping employ our young adults. They worked with Amber to give her a full-time job with benefits that is setting her up to be a contributing member of the community. With HOAR Construction’s partnership, we’ve been able to show Amber that she has so many supporters in her corner and we’ve given her the social capital she needs to succeed.

For the past five years, we have all been devoted to Amber – treating her as a valued individual and providing a safe, accepting environment. We’ve built her up, nurtured her ability to be a part of healthy relationships, and helped her recover – or discover – her confidence and purpose. We couldn’t be more proud of where Amber is today.

Dancing for Our Youth

On March 7, six Charlotte community and corporate leaders will take the Knight Theater stage and raise funds for Charlotte Ballet and six local charitable organizations, one being The Relatives.
Jennifer Doyle (Managing Director, Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking) will be dancing to raise funds for our youth and young adults. $1 equals one vote for Jennifer.

Support Jennifer and The Relatives today by purchasing tickets or making a donation.

Building EMPOWERment

January is National Mentoring Month! We just launched our EMPOWERmentors program to help empower our young adults by growing their social capital. The one-on-one support our mentors provide changes the equity of opportunity for those that have amazing potential, but few resources. Relationships matter and our relationships have value.

If you’d like to get involved, please reach out to Christina Nunez at cnunez@therelatives.org.

Join A Committee

Being the Safe Place managing partner for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area has allowed us to open our doors to youth and young adults in crisis that may not know where to turn. We’re always looking for Safe Place committee members to help bring awareness to this vital program.

Please contact Kayla Williams at kwilliams3@therelatives.org if you’d like to get involved.

Double Your Gift

If you just made an end of year gift, or are looking to double your support, please consider if your company participates in a matching gift program. You can refer to a list of companies here, or check your organization’s website.