Centralina Regional Council

We share our deepest condolences with the family and loved ones of Mayor Karen Alexander. Mayor Alexander was a dedicated leader who worked to strengthen not only Salisbury, but all of the region through her efforts to improve quality of life. She was a champion of expanded opportunity and thoughtful municipal management, and beyond that, she was a dear and kind friend who has served Centralina diligently over the past decade. We are eternally grateful for her service, knowledge and commitment.

Your employees need affordable, flexible child care services that give them peace of mind throughout the day. Hear directly from private child care providers and learn actionable steps to start offering child care benefits for your employees - boosting retention, productivity and workplace satisfaction - at our January 22nd Centralina Learns: https://loom.ly/TCisd-E

Happy New Year from Centralina! We are excited to get to work on a range of programs and initiatives designed to support our region and help our member governments thrive in 2025. This month, we’re focused on engaging our stakeholders and invite you to help shape the agenda for Centralina’s next Strategic Plan update. We are asking for less than 10 minutes of your time to answer 10 questions in our Strategic Priorities Survey: https://loom.ly/QIrOYSk

Our January 16th webinar will focus on building age-friendly communities for the fastest-growing age group in North Carolina. Join AARP North Carolina and Age-Friendly Mecklenburg to learn about how your community can become more age-friendly: https://loom.ly/SXJR3Zo

On October 10, 2024, the NCWorks Career Center – Mooresville hosted a bustling Fall Fest that merged Mitchell Community College services with a dynamic job fair. The NCWorks Career Center – Mooresville organized the job fair with Mitchell Community College providing a welcoming venue for the event. Like many NCWorks events, Fall Fest showcased a blend of traditional job-hunting activities that appealed to a diverse audience of students. This job fair specifically catered to senior students on the brink of graduation, helping them explore career opportunities and prepare for the transition out of college. Learn more about the job fair's success at https://loom.ly/YE96iao

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: The NC Governor’s Crime Commission is accepting applications for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. This grant provides funding to local law enforcement agencies in a range of program areas including crime prevention, education, planning, evaluation and technology improvement. For more information about this funding opportunity, visit https://loom.ly/VGxseuU

The first Region of Excellence category awarded at our October 9th Fall Celebration was Cross-Community Collaboration. These awards are given to those who demonstrate the value of partnerships across communities in order to achieve better outcomes, like City of Gastonia. City of Gastonia’s Farm to Table – Cultivating Opportunity began as a social justice proposal for a Dominion Energy grant that would bring together three unique organizations in order to serve a single cause: reducing the barriers to healthy food through community collaboration. Learn more at https://loom.ly/kF_w1gA

Mecklenburg County is launching a 5-year Consolidated Planning process as required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program. This strategic planning process will gather input from the public and data which is intended to inform the allocation of federal dollars to create better housing, improve living environments and increase economic opportunities, especially for low– and moderate-income individuals. Participants will have the opportunity to attend two Community Visioning Workshops and receive feedback about the process over the next several months. Residents in the towns and unincorporated areas of the County are invited to participate in the following Community Visioning Workshops: https://loom.ly/z2pW_RQ

Shirley and Melvin Springs reside in Charlotte where they were referred by their insurance company to Centralina Area Agency on Aging for support services. Melvin was diagnosed five years ago with dementia, and due to his diagnosis, needs 24-hour supervision and hands-on assistance with activities related to daily living. Shirley is Melvin’s wife and primary caregiver. She assists him with bathing, dressing, transportation, meals and managing his medication. Like many caregivers, Shirley was happy to take care of her husband but also recognized that she needed support. Here's where Centralina came in: https://loom.ly/oDlWq_w

Happy holidays to all of our friends throughout the region! We hope that your season is filled with joy. Our offices will be closed December 24 through December 26.