July 16, 2024
GreenLight Fund is a Boston-based organization with funding and a small staff presence in Charlotte and 12 other U.S. cities. Charlotte Executive Director Sam Smith Jr. shared the group’s mission by bringing to the Forum leaders of four groups that have been or are now being financially supported in their work by the Fund.
The four groups are also national in scope and, Smith said, were brought to Charlotte to address issues that might benefit by the “evidence-based social innovations” proven effective elsewhere. Smith said the organizations prioritize hiring staff not only with lived experience with the issues addressed but lived experience in Charlotte.
Most of Forum participants’ questions were about Alternatives to Violence, which has staff on the streets in the Beatties Ford Road, West Boulevard and Nations Ford Road corridors.
Participants were:
- Fard Morales, Charlotte Regional Director, Inner Explorer;
- Angie Drakeford, NC Director, ParentChild+;
- Tiffany J. Miller, Charlotte Site Director, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
- Ricky Singh, Education Lead, Urban League Aternatives to Violence Nations Ford
- Kwasi Amponsa, Program Manager, YAP Alternatives to Violence Beatties Ford/West Boulevard
- Sam Smith Jr., Charlotte Executive Director, GreenLight Fund
- Ashley Gibbons, Charlotte Program Associate, GreenLight Fund
Below the morning’s video are slides from GreenLight’s presentation. They may be downloaded as a PDF here.
