“The way [my bonsai] are constructed, it’s not based on what I was taught or what the books tell you to do,” says Arthur Joura, bonsai curator at The N.C. Arboretum. “It’s based on what I’ve seen in my own experience and run through the filter of my knowledge of art.
“RiverLink is the only conservation organization focused exclusively on the French Broad River and its tributaries,” says Lisa Raleigh, the nonprofit’s executive director. “We operate three programs that include water resource management, land conservation and youth education.”
“Mental health challenges impact all demographics and each of these has their own cultural way of addressing them,” says Robin C. Payne, executive director of NAMI Western Carolina. “As such, we are careful not to assume we know what is best for a community. Instead we try to create opportunities for open discussions and see how we can provide the resources that are needed.”
“We provide a service that brings mobile markets with fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins and whole grains directly to people’s homes,” says Sonya Jones, executive director of Caja Solidaria.
“One of the biggest misconceptions about human trafficking is that it doesn’t happen here. It absolutely does,” says Amanda Gopal, executive director of The Hundred Movement.
When three Asheville women started AVL Hoppers last year, they wanted the organization to have an impact beyond the volleyball courts. So each season, the group’s championship teams receive a prize in the form of a donation to a local nonprofit of their choice. In all, the Hoppers have helped distribute more than $2,000 to worthy causes.
“Families can meet others and not feel so alone on their autism journey,” says Caroline Long Tindall, CEO of St. Gerard House. “Young adults are becoming part of their community and giving back — the community is getting to know how valuable individuals with autism are.”
Decreased funding from federal Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, could be devastating to the local nonprofits serving survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.
“When I started this job, almost 20 years ago, very few people used the French Broad River for recreation, and therefore no one really cared when it was polluted,” says Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper with MountainTrue. “Now lots of people use the river everyday and there is a strong desire that we do better and protect the river,
Nonprofits recovered from a volunteer drop-off during COVID and found they can do more with less.
“It’s thanks to the 600-plus volunteers at Brother Wolf that we’re able to forever change so many animals’ lives,” says Leah Craig Chumbley, executive director of Brother Wolf Animal Rescue.
Barrett spoke with Xpress about how he has avoided burnout, his advice to young lawyers and North Carolina’s problem with “legal deserts.”
“Both collaborations with the Vance Birthplace and the Mountain History and Culture Group have been the purest representations of the work we want to do, existing in the intersection of art and activism,” says Aaron Snook, co-founder and curator of America Myth Center
With just two full-time employees, United Way of Haywood County has met some big community needs in recent years. In 2021, the Waynesville-based nonprofit received more than $1 million in donations to help those affected by devastating flooding in the wake of Tropical Storm Fred. United Way funneled money to groups like WNC Communities for […]
“Asheville Humane Society relies heavily on community support,” says Mabel Lujan, the organization’s communications manager. “From donations to fostering to suggesting us as a spot to grow your family, our caring community members provide the backbone to allow us to care for as many animals as we can.
The nonprofit’s writing, craft and visual arts groups forge a strong sense of belonging among participants.
“We are a space people can contemplate how our history affects our lives today,” says Anne Chesky, executive director of the Asheville Museum of History.
“We definitely could use additional support from major donors, as well as institutional support from funders to ensure we are showing up in the ways our community needs,” says Amy Upham, executive director of Blue Ridge Pride.
“Gaining 501(c)(3) nonprofit status has opened the market to new funding sources that we didn’t have access to before, while connecting us to the community in new ways,” says Lyric Antio, market director of the RAD Farmers Market
“Our research materials are not limited to Buncombe County or Western North Carolina,” says Stella Taylor, the public relations chair at the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society. “Our collection covers the areas from which settlers came to our state and areas to which some families moved.”
The survivor of a violent relationship has difficult decisions to make. She has to figure out when it is safest to leave, where she can go, what she can bring and what she can’t. Sometimes she’s stopped cold when she realizes she might have to leave the dog behind.
