INSIDE ▼ First Bank moving to new space PAGE 4B Friday, February 14, 2025 • Vol. 25 • No. 7
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Discovery Place rebrands nature museum CHARLOTTE – Discovery Place has reimagined its nature museum.
Under construction on the site of the original Discovery Place Nature, the new Charlotte Museum of Nature will join the Discovery Place family of museums when it opens in 2026. “The new Charlotte Museum of Nature will be a treasured institution in our community and its new name underscores our deep ties to Charlotte while honoring our organization’s roots,” said Catherine Wilson Horne, president and CEO of Discovery Place. “We’re creating a museum for everyone – one that will inspire joy, wonder and understanding in the heart of our growing city.” Charlotte Museum of Nature will also debut with a new visual identity, including a modern fractal tree logo symbolizing Renderings show how the future Charlotte Museum of Nature integrates with the surrounding landscape. Story continues, see MUSEUM page 3A
Photos courtesy of Discovery Place
Walk to End Alzheimer’s among ANSWER Scholarship Top 30 walks nationwide receives $100,000 grant
ANSWER Scholarship Executive Director Susan Andersen joins some of the moms awarded scholarships during the 2024-25 academic year.
The 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Charlotte raised $744,500.
Photo courtesy of Alzheimer’s Association – Western Carolina Chapter
CHARLOTTE – The Alzheimer’s Association – Western Carolina Chapter announced that its 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s - Charlotte has been ranked No. 24 in the nation out of the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2024 Top 30 Walks.
The Charlotte fundraiser has been included in this top ranking since 2016 and is the largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s and other dementia awareness, care, support and research. Nearly 2,000 participants in the 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Charlotte raised $744,500. “We appreciate our walk participants, volunteers, sponsors and staff for consistently making this event so successful and impactful to our community,” said Katherine Lambert, CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association - Western Carolina Chapter. “The critical
funds raised make a difference for the 210,000 North Carolinians living with Alzheimer’s and their 373,000 caregivers.” Rankings are earned by overall event revenue, and include walks from over 600 communities nationwide. In 2024, more than 371,000 people participated in more than 600 walks across the country, raising $103 million — a record amount for any single year since the inception of the world’s largest event to fight the disease. “These vital funds enable the association to deliver 24/7 care and support, advocate fearlessly for people facing the disease and fuel groundbreaking research across the globe,” said Coulter Warlick, 2024 volunteer chair of the Executive Leadership Team for Walk to End Alzheimer’s Charlotte. “And this is only the beginning. With the current advances in treatment, our work is
more important than ever. We won’t rest until everyone living with the disease – at any stage – can get the treatment, care and support they need and deserve.” In addition to the top ranking of the Charlotte event, several local teams and individuals earned national rankings. Among the Top 50 Walk Teams nationwide was Senior Living Communities at No. 44 raising $67,780. Earning spots among the Top 100 Walk Participants nationwide were Charlotte participants Josh Thompson (Senior Living Communities) who raised $31,540, Stuart Goldstein (Team Cadwalader), who raised $27,746 and Wesley Misson (Team Cadwalader), who raised $25,085. The Alzheimer’s Association will be hosting its 2025 Walk to End Alzheimer’s - Charlotte on Saturday, Oct. 18 at Truist Field. Registration is already open.
Photo courtesy of ANSWER Scholarship
CHARLOTTE – ANSWER Scholarship, a Charlotte nonprofit that provides college scholarships, mentoring and training to mothers pursuing a college degree, received a $100,000 grant from Principal Foundation.
Participants and teams can register by visiting act.alz.org/charlotte or calling 800-272-3900.
Credit union opening regional office in SouthPark CHARLOTTE – American Asset Corporation and its principals have added Truliant Federal Credit Union as a new tenant to Fairview Plaza.
The credit union will open a regional office within the 320,000-square-foot, three building complex in SouthPark. “With over 70,000 square feet of leases signed last year, occupancy has now exceeded 90%, which is an incredible achievement,” said Cooper Burton, American Asset
Corporation’s executive vice president of commercial leasing. American Asset and its principals, the owners of Fairview Plaza since 1979, are thrilled to welcome Truliant. “Their decision to select Fairview highlights a growing confidence among tenants in the market, with many committing to longer-term leases in well-located office buildings,” Burton said. “The recent renovations and refreshed tenant mix at Fairview Plaza have undoubtedly contrib-
uted to its appeal.” Truliant and its employees will benefit from a recent $3 million investment in interior and exterior renovations at Fairview Plaza that resulted from the Salon Lofts lease, leading to an upgrade of the public plazas that connect all three of Fairview Plaza’s multi-tenant office buildings. Truliant will bring some pizzazz of its own, adding its name to the front and back of the eight-story building at 5970 Fairview Road. It will occupy 16,700 square feet
of the third floor. “We are excited to secure naming rights for this historic building in the SouthPark area,” said Todd Hall, president and CEO of Winston-Salem-based Truliant. Hall praised Fairview Plaza’s location, calling it prominent, well-respected, vibrant, thriving and “a walkable, centrally located business district.” Truliant’s new regional office Story continues, see SOUTHPARK page 3A
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The grant will be payable over the next two years to support ANSWER Scholarship’s programs and services. ANSWER Scholarship has funded $823,000 in college scholarships to 141 local moms since 2006. Some graduates have earned master’s degrees. “We understand the critical role education plays in building longterm financial security,” said Jo Christine Miles, director of Principal Foundation. “By providing mothers with the resources and education they need to thrive professionally, ANSWER Scholarship is enabling women and families to pursue financially secure futures and helping mothers inspire their children to pursue their dreams.” ANSWER Scholarship has awarded scholarships to 24 moms in the 202425 academic year. Students are studying at UNC Charlotte, Johnson C. Smith University, Queens University of Charlotte, Winthrop University and other regional colleges and universities. In the last academic year, recipients of a scholarship achieved a graduation rate of 91%. “Principal Foundation has stepped forward to make a significant investment in women’s education in our community,” said Susan Andersen, executive director of ANSWER Scholarship. “ANSWER’s comprehensive approach with mentoring Story continues, see ANSWER page 3A