Kay Ethridge is a powerhouse of compassion. An accomplished artist, mother, and philanthropist, Kay began volunteering at Roof Above in 2002, with her two kids and a kiln in tow. Evidence of Kay’s impact is sprinkled throughout Roof Above campuses, through ceramics dotting our walls and brightening our days. Her work started with a grant from her church, Myers Park …
Five years ago, one community came together for a common cause: Operation Sandwich. And it could’ve ended there. Five years is a long time to do anything. Children age, news breaks, families move. Our world now is unrecognizable to our world five years ago. Masks are no longer status quo, social distance markers on restaurant floors sit faded. But over …
Meet Jim Jim Dobbins first learned about Roof Above in 2021 through volunteering with Room in the Inn at his church, Covenant Presbyterian. When Jim’s pastor told him about Roof Above’s Housing and Employment Resource Centers (HERCs), she said volunteering there would be right up his alley. “To say she was right would be an understatement,” Jim says. “This is …
McAdams is Making it Happen Last October, the civil engineering firm McAdams treated guests at the Howard Levine Men’s Shelter and Lucille Giles Center to a cookout. The Charlotte McAdams office focuses their philanthropic efforts on housing and hunger through the McAdams SHARES initiative. They’ve been partnering with Roof Above since 2018. The team supports Roof Above through financial contributions, …
Season of Hope Invitation Will you join us for a Season of Hope? Between now and the end of the year, we will be sharing weekly content that explores the many facets of hope. This isn’t meant to be prescriptive. There are multiple entry points into this invitation: Moments of inspiration and response on social media. Minutes or more, with …
The numbers are staggering. 500: the number of bag lunches provided EVERY DAY by volunteers for Roof Above shelter programs. 3,500: the number of bag lunches provided EACH WEEK for our friends in dorms, motels, and winter shelter. That’s more lunches than a child carries to school from kindergarten through high school graduation! Wait, there’s more! A typical lunch includes …
“911, do you need Police, Fire or Medic?” “I need an ambulance for a man who says he is having chest pains.” Not a typical Room In The Inn night at Avondale Presbyterian Church. Jim, the overnight host, had noticed that Walter had enjoyed his dinner and conversation but was now moaning in the men’s room. Jim wanted to respect …
As a Room In The Inn volunteer, I worked with Andy and his forever friend, Sandy. The following is Andy’s story as I know it. When I walk down the street, no one will look me directly in the eye. Are they thinking I will ask for money or are they afraid of me? Do they think my clothes look …
Room In The Inn helps people experiencing homelessness by coordinating emergency shelter in partnership with faith organizations during the winter months. .. but this story is not about statistics or the number of homeless individuals that have been helped by this program. It is about the people. Over the next few months, you will hear about Room In The Inn …
Ten years ago Sandy Vermillion, Carol Rousey, Roger Coates, and their fellow church members attended a work day at the Urban Ministry Center’s College Street Campus. While serving, they met new staff member Joann Markley who told them about a brand new program, Homeless To Homes, that could really use their support. On that day in 2008 a new partnership …
No one would ever describe volunteering for Urban Ministry Center as a ‘day at the beach,’ but that’s exactly what our coordinators hoped to treat our most valued partners to at the annual volunteer appreciation dinner, April 22. The annual event gives volunteers a chance to be served and loved on by our staff, enjoy time with their UMC volunteer …
You can see from the smiles that October’s Wellness Challenge Picnic is a much anticipated event for many Moore Place tenants! From June to September, tenants collect badges by participating in one of the 7-8 wellness opportunities offered each week—art, yoga, cooking, walking, etc. Collect four badges for the month and they are invited to a Wellness Reception with a …
We seldom receive phone calls from London here at the Urban Ministry Center, but that’s what happened one day a few weeks ago. She said her name was Sayo Ayodele and she was with Leaders’ Quest, an international leadership development organization based in London, New York and Singapore. She said she had been reading about us and wanted to visit …
For many families, this past weekend marked “moving in” day for their college students. My family spent a steamy Saturday afternoon hauling items up many flights of stairs (and on the elevator when we could get it!) into my daughter’s new dorm room. Throughout the move, I kept saying to myself, “Wow, where is she going to put all of …
Volunteer Jerry Levine says working at the front desk of Urban Ministry Center for the past 3+ years makes him feel lighter and being here helps him tap into himself in a unique way. He cares more, is humbled, and believes it helps him regain perspective about what truly hurts him and what he’s grateful for in his own day …
Urban Ministry Center’s Room in the Inn program is entering its final month of the season. The Room in the Inn (RITI) program began in 1996 with a goal of providing a warm, safe, and dry place for Mecklenburg County’s homeless population during Charlotte’s coldest months – December through March. Over 130 area churches and colleges throughout the Charlotte area …
As a VISTA Volunteer, I work on events for the development team at the Urban Ministry Center, and I am usually tucked away in an office with spreadsheets and press releases. But every morning during check in, I get the chance to be with our neighbors, and to be reminded of the purpose of all the fundraising we do in …
As summer officially comes to a close this week, we wanted to recognize a few scouts who made 2016 the summer of campus improvements at 945 N College Street! Troop 16 at First Presbyterian Church has become very familiar with Urban Ministry Center as three scouts, Michael Quartapella, Nick Quartapella, and Rich Pope each completed their Eagle Scout Projects with …
What do people need most when they settle into housing after experiencing long periods of homelessness? For someone utilizing services at the Urban Ministry Center main campus, those needs can often be easier to identify. They need a hot lunch, an ID, a shower. For an individual moving off the streets and into permanent housing, those needs can be harder …
In the midst of frantically applying for graduate schools and jobs following my graduation from college, I stumbled upon Urban Ministry Center’s website. I figured since I was new to Charlotte, I could get to know the community by volunteering. However, I never expected to begin my post graduate career here- and I never expected it to change my life. …
As the brand new “Inn Keeper” for Room In The Inn, I have been truly overwhelmed with the generosity and compassion that our community provides to our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Room In The Inn is Urban Ministry Center’s emergency shelter program which operates each winter, December – March, since 1996. This past season I was privileged to organize 132 participants …