Tis The Season of Giving: The Centralina Day of Giving Continues

Tis' The Season of Giving: The Centralina Day of Giving Continues

Tis' the season of giving! The Annual Centralina Day of Giving for 2023 kicked off beginning on November 3, 2023, with events at our NCWorks Career Centers in Cabarrus, Stanly, Lincoln, and Rowan counties and in Iredell County in Mooresville and Statesville. Each center volunteered their time to help non-profit organizations within the communities of the Centralina WDB region.

The first Centralina Day of Giving event for 2023 started in Cabarrus County where The Habitat for Humanity Restore in Concord hosted the NCWorks Career Center-Cabarrus team on Friday, November 3, 2023.  Center Leader Denisha Nesbitt and her team assisted in sorting and pricing donated items going out on the sales floor.  Some of the center staff also assembled a poster bed on the sales floor.  Sales of donated items help Habitat for Humanity partner with local families to build, rehabilitate, and repair safe and affordable homes in our community.

On November 17, the NCWorks Career Center-Stanly team gathered at the Community Table, a local soup kitchen, ready to lend a helping hand. Despite their busy schedules, these individuals were eager to give back to their community and make a difference in the lives of others. As the center staff arrived, they were greeted by the warm smiles and heartfelt gratitude of the Community Table staff. They were quickly assigned tasks, ranging from chopping vegetables, preparing, and serving meals to assisting with dishwashing and cleaning. Throughout the morning, the NCWorks staff worked tirelessly. They laughed and chatted with the Community Table guests, creating a welcoming and supportive atmosphere.

The giving continued on that day with our NCWorks Career Center-Mooresville team who partnered with their local Habitat for Humanity in Mooresville. Center Leader Jens Schmidt was intentional about having his team foster a partnership with the organization to provide coaching to individuals and help them find new career opportunities or obtain higher paying jobs and help tackle the concerns faced by 90% of applicants not qualifying for home ownership program due to low income or debt. They also provided a helping hand with Christmas decorations.

The giving continued to spread across Iredell County into Statesville on November 17 where NCWorks Career Center-Statesville Center Leader Annisa Morton and her team helped their new partner at the Iredell Coast Hidden Gem Variety Store & Community Food Bank where they organized donations, clothes, household items, etc. for the re-sale store. The Iredell Coast Hidden Gem Variety Store & Community Food Bank is the only food pantry in Iredell County open 7 days a week. Staff also shared NCWorks Career Center materials and talked about services.

The volunteer event scheduled with the Community Shelter of Union County on November 17th to serve lunch did not go as planned due to an unforeseen issue that would not allow the NCworks Career Center Union staff to enter the facility on that day as a safeguard to the residents. However, all was not lost. The team came up with a plan that would still allow them to contribute to the shelter during Centralina's Regional Day of Giving in November. The team decided to volunteer their time and efforts by shopping and donating new and unwrapped toys, books, games, clothes, and holiday goodies for resident children at the shelter through their volunteer program called "Holiday Shop". The scheduled delivery date is November 30, 2023. The Shelter Staff will use the donated toys and items they receive from the Career Center, and from other donors, to create a holiday shop where the Emergency Shelter's parents, guardians, and caregivers can choose gifts for the children in their care on Christmas Day.

Description automatically generated Staff from NCWorks Career Center- Lincoln assisted the Lincoln County Coalitions Against Child Abuse and Child Advocacy Center on November 17. The team went in and reorganized their storage building. The organization's large storage building houses all their supplies, decorations, toys, and event posters as well as other items from events. Executive Director Sherry Reinhardt requested assistance from the NCWorks Lincoln team in helping to organize the building due to the frequent traffic in and out of the building. If she's not adding more things, then people from their board or the community are dropping off donations and things just keep piling up. The NCWorks Career Center-Lincoln staff members were able to go in and organize the building making the flow better.

NCWorks Career Center-Rowan Center Leader Joseph Dismuke and team volunteered their time with Rowan Helping Ministries serving the homeless in their cafeteria on November 20. The facility in which they spent their time volunteering has also bought two more apartment buildings that opened on October 16. Each building provides 12 more units for permanent housing for homeless individuals. Out of the 12, 9 units will be specifically designated for homeless veterans.

The Centralina Workforce Development Board and our local NCWorks Career Centers will continue this initiative as they participate in multiple service events throughout their communities through 2024. The Centralina Workforce Development Board would like to thank the NCWorks Career Center leaders, their staff, our community partners, and all those involved with the Centralina Day of Giving. The Board could not ask for a better effort in connecting with and serving our communities! Together, our region will be stronger, more resilient, and ready to tackle the future challenges that lie ahead for our workforce.

For more information on resources and opportunities, visit https://centralinaworkforce.com/. And be sure to download the FREE Centralina WDB Mobile App – available on the Google Play Store and the App Store for iPhone to keep up with all the local workforce services and events happening around the region.

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