News feed – Page 58 – CHARLOTTE AREA NEWS

Community Blood Center of the Carolinas Celebrates Sickle Cell Awareness Month in September

In commemoration of September being Sickle Cell Awareness Month, the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas (CBCC) is working to increase blood donors – and in particular African-American donors – to help treat area sickle cell patients. This effort is part of CBCC’s new Sickle Cell Program aimed at creating a registry of African-American volunteer donors whose blood type and traits are matched with a local sickle cell patient. “There is a real value and need for this program in our community,” said Martin Grable, president and CEO of the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas. “Nationally, the number of

Dore Academy Renamed The John Crosland School

Charlotte’s first school solely for children with learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorder has opened in its new home, with a new name honoring one of the region’s most respected philanthropists. Dore Academy is now The John Crosland School, a name change announced today on the first day of school for 85 students at the new six-acre campus near Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. At a celebration highlighted by the unveiling of a sign with the new name, the K-12 school joined with the Charlotte community in honoring this latest contribution from the homebuilding pioneer and business and charitable giant. “This is

Andrew Roby Cornhole Tournament Set for Oct. 13

The Pitchin’ for Wishes Cornhole Tourney, sponsored by general contractor Andrew Roby and Harris Teeter, will take place Oct. 13 at Freedom Park. The tournament’s fundraising goal is $200,000 to benefit Make-A-Wish® Central & Western North Carolina, which will provide hope, strength and joy for children suffering from life-threatening medical conditions. Last year’s bag toss tournament set a Guinness world record with 256 cornhole competitors, but organizers plan to shatter that mark this year with 512 competitors. The family-friendly tournament will feature an NCAA bracket-style cornhole competition, as well as food, music, mascots from Charlotte’s professional sports teams, a bouncy

Arianna Huffington joins The PPL, additional DNC speakers announced

Arianna Huffington, Founder of the Huffington Post, will take to The PPL’s stage to moderate a Female Founders panel featuring Sara Garces, Founder, Packard Place, Molly Barker, Founder, Girls on the Run, Kay Koplovitz, Founder of USA Network and Chairwoman of Springboard, and Jacqueline Patterson, Founder, Sheercom LLC. This panel will focus on female entrepreneurs as job creators, and examine the obstacles and strategies particular to their success stories on Thursday, September 6, 2012 at 10:00 AM. The PPL’s stage will host this, along with many others, at 222 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28202 during the days of the

Mecklenburg County Sending 2012 Property Tax Bills Now

The Mecklenburg County Assessor’s Office will begin mailing 2012 property tax bills this week. Bills are being sent for real property as well as personal and business property and are payable beginning September 1. Bills can be paid without interest through January 7, 2013. Of the 355,000 real property bills expected to be issued for 2012, some number will be withheld until the second billing in October. The second billing is a normal procedure for certain properties whose value or tax records are still being processed before the respective bills can be issued. Examples include, but are not limited to,

$40M Brightmore Senior Living Community in Ballantyne Breaks Ground

Liberty Senior Living has just broken ground on Brightmore of South Charlotte, a $40 million senior living community located in the Ballantyne-area of Charlotte, NC. “We’re thrilled to begin the first phase of development for Brightmore of South Charlotte,” stated Jerry L. Cooper, Director of Marketing and Development. “Unlike some Charlotte-area senior living communities, Brightmore of South Charlotte will be geared toward the vibrant, active retiree and will offer the convenience of independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing all on one campus.” The 230,000-square-foot luxury retirement community, which will be located at 10021 Providence Road West, will offer seniors

2012 CMPD Citizen Survey Shows Overall Positive Impressions

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department recently received the results of the 2012, CMPD Citizen Survey. The survey agency conducted 650 telephone interviews between May 17 to June 21, and covered several issues ranging from the community’s perception of the CMPD, to how safe neighbors feel in their communities. The survey is a valuable tool for the department and serves as a benchmark for our customer service delivery. This marks the tenth year CMPD has commissioned the study. In summary, the survey concluded: 1. A strong majority of residents have a positive overall impression of the CMPD and believe the police have

“Don’t Curse Your Wedding Bed Before You Say I Do” Says Local Minister and Author

Tara White has been sharing her testimony of healing and wholeness. Through her book, Don’t Curse Your Wedding Bed Before You Say I Do, she recounts her own story of brokenness, rebellion, and the subsequent reconciliation with the Lord and with the love of her life. Her experience has inspired her to educate young women and men and making good and godly choices in relationships. Now a Relationship Coach, White counsels singles and couples. Through her God-given insight, White, a minister of the Gospel, has been guiding singles and couples to better relationships. Here’s what some are saying: “At one

Community Partners with United Way to Increase Literacy Opportunities for At-Risk Students

As part of a week of activities to kick off the 2012 United Way of Central Carolinas campaign, the organization announced several new partnerships on Thursday designed to increase reading among at-risk students served by United Way agencies involved in Collective Impact. IKEA Charlotte has joined with United Way by providing furniture to create reading corners for several United Way funded agencies. First Book-Charlotte and Target are providing new books for children in these agencies from preschool to high school. The United Way Young Leaders donated new books and raised more than $500 to purchase books. In their effort to

Shutterfly Foundation Playground To Be Built at Sugar Creek School August 29

More than 200 volunteers from Shutterfly and Sugar Creek Charter School, organizers from KaBOOM! and residents of the North Charlotte community will join forces on Wednesday, Aug. 29 to build a new playground at the school. The new playground’s design is based on drawings created by children who participated in a Design Day event in July. WHY: Today’s kids spend less time playing outside than any previous generation in part because only 1-in-5 children live within walking distance of a park or playground. This play deficit is having profound consequences for kids physically, socially and cognitively. Children need a place