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Estate Sale Friday 02/21 through Quality Estate Sales of NC & SC Saturday 02/22. 9am till 4pm Our Mission: At Quality EstateMatthews, Sales of NC & SC, we aim to minimize your stre 7021 High Vista NC. streamline the entire estate sale process. We are committed to providing a high Everything must go. professional sale experience with the least amount of confusion for our buyers Vintage, value for yourMid items.Century Modern, German! Cash, and Credit accepted. Our Services: Visit www.QualityEstateSalencsc.com • Free Consultation: We offer a no-obligation consultation to discuss your for more information. • Staging & Pricing: Our team stages the sale to showcase each item in its
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Friday, February 21, 2025 • Vol. 25 • No. 8
and prices each item individually with careful attention to its value. Auctions & Marketing: We provide advanced marketing, including socia ensure maximum visibility. Debris Removal: We handle debris removal before and after the sale. Personalized Services: Each estate sale is customized to meet your spec Professional Staff: Our experienced team manages all aspects of your sa Insured & Bonded: We are fully insured and bonded for your peace of m
thecharlotteweekly.com/ucweekly • • •
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South Piedmont makes Special Olympics milestone •
Why Choose Us? •
MONROE – South Piedmont is now home to the first Unified Sports team at a community college in North Carolina.
Part of the Special Olympics, Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. “We’re proud to become
the first community college in the state to offer Unified Sports, but even prouder to offer this opportunity to our students,” said Nikki Myers, director of South Piedmont’s Compass Education program. “This will go such a long way toward building understanding, empathy, common ground and true
friendships among our students and employees. We welcome anyone who loves sports and wants to get to know other members of our college community to come out and participate.” S o u t h P i e d m o n t ’s Unified Sports team will play disc golf, using the Dry Creek Disc Golf Course behind the Old Charlotte
Highway campus, 4209 Old Charlotte Hwy. Assistant Dean of Allied Health and Public Services David Wheeler, who is an accomplished disc golfer, will provide lessons. “Don’t worry if you’ve never played disc golf,” Myers said. “This is more about coming out, having fun, getting to know oth-
Professional Staging: We ensure your items shine when displayed in the environment. Immaculate Presentation: We make sure your home looks its best befor Respectful & Community-Focused: We treat your home and neighborh utmost respect. Expert Guidance: We provide in-depth instructions to ensure everything smoothly.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS EVENT
er members of the South Piedmont community and working together as a team.” S o u t h P i e d m o n t ’s Our Promise: We are dedicated to maximizing the value of your items while m Unified Sports Team will process as stress-free as possible. Since 2013, we have built a reputation for pro meet for the first timeintegrity, fromand exceptional Specialresults. Olympics Union County Boskovich (661) 305-5226 will hold its Polar PlungeChristine@QualityEstateSaleNC 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Contact MarchUs: Christine 5. Those interested in par- fundraiser Feb. 22 at Cane Creek ticipating are encouraged Park in Waxhaw. Visit https://sonc. “We Sell Everything, But the House! to attend. Email Myers at net/local-programs/ and click nmyers@spcc.edu for more the "local program calendar" link to learn more about the event. information. • •
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Light The World Giving Machines bless donors, people in need
Sanctuary locations for immigrants proposed in North Carolina by Alan Wooten Contributor
Featured charity leaders cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of the Light The World Giving Machines on Nov. 22, 2024 at Promenade on Providence. From left: Denise Cubbedge (Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte CEO), Blake Silverstrom (MAP International CDMO), José Hernandez-Paris (Latin American Coalition CEO), Brittany Holbert (FeedNC COO), Kristen Anderson (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Charlotte Giving Machine Lead), Rev. Abdue Knox (Greater Bethel AME Church), Emmy Cavin (FeedNC employee), Thomas Castrejon (Latin American Coalition board member). Photo courtesy of Diane Sheppard
by Kristen Anderson Contributor
CHARLOTTE – The Promenade on Providence in Charlotte, like shopping centers everywhere during the holidays, buzzed with the familiar energy of the season as families rushed to check off to-do lists and searched for gifts that would delight their friends and loved ones.
But something set this shopping center apart. Standing in the midst of this outdoor complex stood Light The World Giving Machines, beckoning shoppers to pause and give in a different way. Instead of focusing on wish lists, visitors discovered they could use these bright red vending machines to provide hot meals, bus passes, laundry supplies and other essentials to those in need. In a season so often focused on receiving, the Giving Machines transformed the Promenade on Providence into a place where kindness and generosity took center stage. “We love Charlotte and want to support our community,” said Mackenzie and David Higbee, two of the more than 5,000 Giving Machine visitors in Charlotte. Filled with cards representing high-need items requested by local and global charities – including FeedNC, the Latin American Coalition, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte – the Giving Machine initiative offers a true win-win: donors gain a simple yet meaningful way to make a difference, while participating nonprofits are guaranteed to receive 100% of donated funds to purchase and deliver precisely what their beneficiaries need. This is made possible because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints covers all operational expenses. From a young father noticing the machines as he walked the Promenade with a cranky tod-
dler while Mom finished shopping, to an elderly couple selecting gifts in honor of their “adopted” neighbor children, the Giving Machines sparked hope and spread joy, demonstrating that the best gifts are the ones we give away. “Giving Machines provide the opportunity to come together to celebrate the ‘power of we’ and what ‘we’ can do together as a community,” said Lara Ingram, executive director of FeedNC, one of the participating charities. And come together they did. In Charlotte and Atlanta, where these Giving Machines also traveled, thousands experienced the joy of giving, turning small acts of kindness into a powerful collective impact. The generosity of these communities resulted in: • Over 10,000 food items, including hot meals, boxes of fresh produce, and groceries for families. • More than 3,000 health and hygiene supplies, such as children's antibiotics and toiletry kits. • Over 2,500 chickens for families in underdeveloped countries. • More than 2,000 items for children, including diapers, shoes and teddy bears. • Over 850 essential supplies for immigrants, including bus passes, backpacks and one-month phone plans. • More than 175 education and job training resources. This unified effort showed that when people come together with a shared purpose, the impact reaches far beyond what any one person could achieve alone. “It was truly inspiring to see donors of all ages come to the Giving Machines to bless the lives of individuals they had never met,” said President Bryan P. Jenkins, a Charlotte-area faith leader for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Each donation, no matter the size, is an expres-
Donors choose gifts for those in need at the Light The World Giving Machines. 100% of the cost goes directly to charity, thanks to the sponsorship of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Photos courtesy of Janene Goubert
Charlotte-area faith leader President Bryan Jenkins (right) joins his family – Allyson, Elisha, Emma, Jordan, Madilyn, and Kaitlyn (left to right) – at the Light the World Giving Machines to select gifts that spark hope and spread joy to those in need at the Promenade on Providence during the 2024 holiday season.
sion of love and a powerful reminder that true joy is found in lifting others.” As Giving Machine visitors Eric and Lyndi Stoddard from Newton said, “It’s always a blessing to give.” Kristen Anderson is communication director for Charlotte and Western NC Region of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Forty eighth-graders inducted into college-access program by Chuck Gordon Contributor
WINGATE – The largest cohort of eighth-graders yet was inducted into the Wayfind college-access program on Feb. 14.
Forty students – 10 each from East Union, Monroe, Porter Ridge and Sun Valley middle schools – were formally welcomed into the program during a ceremony in LaVerne Banquet Hall.
Wayfind is a partnership between Wingate University and Union County Public Schools that provides a pathway to college for students from communities that are historically underrepresented in higher education. Students are selected for Wayfind in eighth grade and then meet with a college-age mentor throughout their four years of high school. Those who complete the program are offered a full-tuition scholarship to Wingate. The program has become “highly selective,” said program director Abby Holland, with 116
These Union County Public Schools students are working toward enrollment at Wingate University.
Photo courtesy of Wingate University
students applying for one of the 40 available seats this year. Competition is most intense at East Union, where 42 students applied this year for Story continues, see WAYFIND page 3A
(The Center Square) – Faithbased institutions, schools and hospitals have been proposed as sanctuaries statewide in North Carolina in response to the increased arrests, detainers and warrants served since Jan. 20 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill is in the state House of Representatives. A day after its first reading, it moved to the Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House where it likely will rest in peace away from the full Republican majority chamber. Democratic Reps. Maria Cervania of Wake County, Pricey Harrison of Guilford County, Deb Butler of New Hanover County and Renee Price of Orange County led sponsorship of Prohibit LEO w/ICE Churches/Schools/ Hospitals. The bill would “prohibit law enforcement agencies and officers from participating in immigration enforcement in North Carolina places of religious worship, elementary and secondary schools, and hospitals.” Two parts of Section 1 in the legislation intrigue. In one, “Any current or future memorandum, agreement, or contract made between a criminal justice agency or sheriff’s office and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall be void to the extent that the performance of the memorandum, agreement, or contract would violate subsection (a) of this section.” And, “Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit criminal justice agencies, sheriffs’ offices, criminal justice officers, or justice officers from enforcing the laws of this state to the extent authorized by the law.” Require ICE Cooperation & Budget Adjustments became law Nov. 20 through a gubernatorial veto override. The state’s 100 sheriffs, according to the new law, are to hold suspects believed to have illegally entered or be illegally living in the United States. The detainer is up to 48 hours, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement is to be notified. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has posted to social media bountiful information on arrests and pending removals labeled “the worst first” since Jan. 20, the final half-day of former President Joe Biden’s policies inviting immigration through alternative means into the United States. By Jan. 31, ICE had touted 8,276 arrests and 6,577 detainers lodged.