Our every other week check-in meeting is open to anyone interested in supporting compassionate community response to our most vulnerable neighbors. Meetings are held online every other Thursday from 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Email LeDayne Polaski for Zoom access code. In addition, if you would like to receive notification when these minutes are posted, please email LeDayne and ask to be added to the Thursday meetings email list.
Want to learn more about we do on our calls? Watch this short video clip!
Click HERE to Access Zoom Recording:
In this Issue:
Opening Reflection
Ana Lucía Divins Therapeutic Singer & Founder of Azul Healing
1. MeckMIN Updates
A NOTE ABOUT THESE MEETINGS
These meetings are open to anyone or any group interested in promoting the common good in our shared Charlotte-Mecklenburg community.
We do not allow announcements from for-profit groups promoting their businesses or campaigning from political candidates. Beyond that, we don’t have rules for who can speak or what they can share as long as they support our commitments to respectful conversation and the dignity of all people.
Because we have a very wide array of beliefs and understandings within our membership and because we want to keep these meetings open as an open forum, we’re going to add this disclaimer to the minutes: "The views and opinions expressed here are those of the speakers/presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the MeckMIN board or our member organizations."
THANK YOU TO ALL FOR YOUR WORK/ATTENDANCE/SUPPORT OF THE ANNUAL BREAKFAST
SKIPPING NEXT MEETING! June 8th is next meeting
LeDayne is out of town in two weeks but we will resume in force on June 8th.
OPEN TABLES Thursday, June 15th from | 6:30-8:00 PM
The next Open Table, open to all, will be held at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day, 5815 Carmel Rd. Please register to attend. It is a potluck dinner and great opportunity to meet and connect.
MECKMIN YOUTH SUMMIT
August, Friday 18 | 12:00 - 9 PM August, Saturday 19 | 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
This is the reboot of In Your Own Backyard. It will include a service project at Galilee ministries, visiting congregations and more. Open to middle and high schoolers. Please help us share the word. Register HERE
PANDEMIC UPDATE
Mecklenburg County Public Health
Karina Gonzalez, RD, LDN, | (704) 591-6840 (cell) Latino/Hispanic Community Liaison Mecklenburg County Public Health| 249 Billingsley Road |Charlotte, NC 28211
Last Covid-19 Report for Mecklenburg: Apr 9- May 6
Please find below our final CV 19 Weekly Report, updated today, May 11, the day the Public Health Emergency ends in the United States. We are ending the public health emergency phase of the pandemic in stable fashion. Hospital Emergency Department visits, reported cases, hospital admissions and deaths are little changed since the last report. We remain at CDC Community Level Low along with all other counties in North Carolina. Today the CDC will sunset that measure and tomorrow they will debut the revised website they have created to monitor the impact of COVID going forward.
During the Public Health Emergency, there were 371,088 reported COVID cases in Mecklenburg County, with 89,554 of those cases occurring in the past year. Unfortunately, 1,932 people died from COVID 19 related causes since March 2020, a case fatality rate of 520 deaths per 100,000 reported cases. Three of those deaths occurred in the past month. As we move into the next phase of COVID 19, it will still be a serious infectious disease that has public health importance. What is changing today is that COVID 19 is no longer a public health emergency.
-COVID Response Unit Director, David Sweat
Último Reporte de Covid-19 de Mecklenburg: Apr 9-May 6 (Inglés/Español)
Adjunto encontrará nuestro Informe Semanal CV 19 final, actualizado hoy, 11 de mayo, día en que finaliza la Emergencia de Salud Pública en los Estados Unidos. Estamos terminando la fase de emergencia de salud pública de la pandemia de manera estable. Las visitas al Departamento de Emergencias Hospitalarias, los casos reportados, las admisiones hospitalarias y las muertes han cambiado poco desde el último informe. Seguimos en el nivel bajo de la comunidad de los CDC junto con todos los demás condados de Carolina del Norte. Hoy, los CDC cancelarán esa medida y mañana presentarán el sitio web revisado que han creado para monitorear el impacto de COVID en el futuro.
Durante la emergencia de salud pública, se informaron 371,088 casos de COVID en el condado de Mecklenburg, y 89,554 de esos casos ocurrieron el año pasado. Desafortunadamente, 1932 personas murieron por causas relacionadas con COVID 19 desde marzo de 2020, una tasa de letalidad de 520 muertes por cada 100 000 casos informados. Tres de esas muertes ocurrieron en el último mes. A medida que avanzamos en la siguiente fase de COVID 19, seguirá siendo una enfermedad infecciosa grave que tiene importancia para la salud pública. Lo que está cambiando hoy es que COVID 19 ya no es una emergencia de salud pública.
-Director de la Unidad de Respuesta de Covid, David Sweat
2. Non-Profit Updates
LATIN AMERICAN COALITION: TITLE 42 UPDATE
Diego Torres | Latin American Coalition | Integration@mylac.org
Alba Sanchez | Immigrant Welcoming Center Manager | 704 941 2558
Thank you for all who have volunteered coats and more since November. Now, because Title 42 is going away, we expect the needs to increase rapidly. LAC is implementing a “triage” system to help those who are critical, immediate and in transition in response to their urgency. They are focusing only on critical needs right now which are families that are new arrivals. Provide a place to stay and food. August 5th is the next resource fair and we need help. @300 people have come to each resource fair. In total they have helped 1400 people in the past 4-5 months.
More about Title 42 and its impact on Charlotte Talks on 5/11 9 am
· Volunteer needs:
o Volunteers at the welcoming center
o Volunteers to help them organize the clothes closet space
· Fundraising/material goods needs:
o Cell phones with cell phone plans so they can connect with family and resources. There are cheap plans/phones out there. 3 months plan is great to help families stay in touch with potential support
o We need deodorant, towelettes, etc. (homeless packages) to distribute
o Non-perishable food that is easy to eat in a hotel
o $25 gift cards
o Compare Foods gift cards
o Larger fundraising plans are not settled yet but plans are coming and MeckMIN will share them
NEED FOR IMMIGRANT WELCOME CENTER VOLUNTEERS
Alba Sanchez | Immigrant Welcoming Center Manager| 704 941 2558
Latin American Coalition | 4938 Central Avenue Suite 101| Charlotte, NC 28205
As you might know we continue experiencing an influx of new immigrant families and that could also increase in the next few weeks. For that reason, we are in constantly outreach of great volunteers to support us and our community here at the Immigrant Welcoming Center.
If you know a good volunteer that has the time, skills and wants to volunteer please contact them with us (me)
CAMINO HEALTH
Sarai Ordonez | sarai@camino.org
Title 42 ends today which means we expect surge of immigration at the border and here in Charlotte. Feb of this year Camino conducted a survey to evaluate the situation
Survey indicated:
· Most immigrants were escaping violence or seeking economic opportunity
· Most paid @$5000 to come which was their life savings
· Many experience trauma along the way, through jungles, on foot, etc.
· Most surrendered themselves to border control which confiscates docs and belongings.
· Nearly ½ of the immigrants served at a New Mexico center studied by Camino were under 18
· NC is a leading destination and has grown over time. We are #13.
· In Charlotte – a lot of trouble obtaining work permits which means hard to get health care, housing, food and clothes
· Charlotte will bear the brunt of the surge in NC most likely.
· In past 60 days Camino helped over 300 recent arrivals
· Seeing an increased volume of calls to Camino
· They have built a countywide that they hope all will use which will make it easier for the county to allocate resources etc to orgs serving the arrivals.
· Comment – because of FL legislation we will also see an increase of immigrants coming from Florida
· Question: how can public spaces like 7th street market create a more welcoming space? Ans – hygiene, food, diapers, formula are really needed. Donating would be a great way to start. And we are part of Welcoming America which has packages and more and a great website.
· If rapid response is initiated, MeckMin will reach out via email with details
· Loaves and Fishes reminded us that they can be a great resource
CENTER FOR LEGAL ADVOCACY - CHANGES TO MEDICAID
Shanelle Tate | Shanelle.tate@charlottelegaladvocacy.org
People with children – CHIP has gone away and been merged with full Medicaid which will increase the overall income level for Medicaid which allows children with disabilities to get transportation services and more.
Public Health emergency ends and Medicaid unwinding begins. Which means that a lot of people are at risk of losing Medicaid. During the pandemic public health emergency, folks who needed recertification were continued even if they did not complete recertification. June 1 the recerts begin again. Medicaid recipients should have received paperwork but it is confusing so share with your community the following to help:
· If they are receiving Medicaid, they should call DSS office ASAP to provide updated address, income, household size, and anything that contributes to income in their household. If they don’t, Medicaid uses their own systems which can be badly out of date. If you were never contacted, reach out to Center for help
· If you were legally terminated, you can go to marketplace and enroll. Beware of scams which can affect your immigration status. Contact navigators.
· DSS will struggle through this so be sure and record everything you are doing and stay on top of stuff.
Click HERE for more information
CHARLOTTE FAMILY HOUSING
Taryn Hofert | THofert@charlottefamilyhousing.org
Communications, Marketing and Faith Partner Liaison
Alice Marleaux | AMarleaux@charlottefamilyhousing.org
We are an empowerment movement coming to families who are struggling. Shelter to housing, ongoing programs. Began in 2011 98% of the people we serve are single families.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day, we can focus on those single moms. We launched the “Mighty like a Mother” campaign.
We are asking our Congregational partners to find time to support the single Mom’s in our community and yours. Acknowledge the ones in your own community and the ones in the CFH community who are struggling. We have a kit to help you do this. $100/night in our program. Can you raise money to support this effort? We need twin and full size bedding including child and teen specific linens as well. We also need volunteers for our after school program.
RESOURCES for Single Mother’s Day
Click HERE if you'd like to connect with Charlotte Family Housing
Check their YouTube Channel HERE
CHARLOTTE PRIDE'S INTERFAITH SERVICE
Joseph TenHulzen | joseph@charlottepride.org
Charlotte Pride's Interfaith Team would like to invite you and members of MeckMIN to attend our annual interfaith celebration this August.
This year’s service will take place at 4:00 pm on Sunday, August 13th, at Caldwell Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. It will last about an hour and will be followed by an after-service social and refreshments.
This service brings together the LGBTQ+ community and different faith groups to reflect, celebrate, and build relations. Additionally, this celebration initiates Pride Week in Charlotte, culminating in the parade the following weekend.
Each year, the service focuses on a particular theme, and this year’s theme is “Prosper and Persevere.” Over the past couple of years, attacks against religious and LGBTQ+ groups have been increasing across the country. We at Charlotte Pride would like join forces with local faith communities to reflect on how we may overcome (rather than succumb to) such adversity, to take a stand against discrimination, and to support each other to make the Charlotte area safe for individuals of all backgrounds.
Reach out to interfaith@charlottepride.org to learn more or be added to the newsletter.
7TH STREET MARKET
Antonia Betaudier | abetaudier@7thstreetpublicmarket.com
Manager, Events & Marketing – The Market at 7th Street
New team and new events coming up. Want to ensure it is an inclusive space so please reach out if they can support your work. Tango lesson tonight!
FREEDOM SCHOOL PARTNERS
George Metz
Working with 650 scholars this year. 12 different sites. Greatest current need is for volunteers. July 19th is Drop Everything and Read day which needs lots of volunteers. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/org/fsp#/
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONFERENCE
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Kristen Anderson | andersonkw@comm.churchofjesuschrist.org | 704-604-4617
Communication Director
Religious Liberty and Human Dignity: The Promise of American Pluralism
June 1st 6:30-8:00 PM at the Belk Chapel at Queen’s University.
Free event with Religious Freedom expert Hannah Smith Register HERE:
We invite you to attend Charlotte’s first annual Religious Freedom Conference. The purpose of this free event is to discuss the parameters of religious freedom according to the US Constitution, its current landscape locally and nationally, and why positive interfaith relationships play a critical role in supporting and strengthening our communities.
Religious liberty expert Hannah Smith will be the guest speaker. Following her remarks, Ms. Smith will moderate a Q&A panel discussion with four Charlotte-area religious leaders.
VOTE RIDERS
Pam Pearson | pam@voteriders.org | 704-641-4845
Non -partisan organization to ensure that everyone living in a state with strict ID requirements has the ID they need. Starting with Fall elections ID will be required here in NC. Rules are not yet known. Driver’s License and Passport are always accepted. IDs are also essential for housing and more. We anticipate more than 100K voters will not have a valid ID for this election cycle. She will add more in another meeting. Almost 60K of them are those who were re-infranchised and have had their rights re-stripped
JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY: "DEEP SOUTH PILGRIMAGE" of Charlotte's Black/Jewish Alliance
Kendal P. Mobley, Th.D.
Associate Professor of Religion
I am writing to invite you to the June 1 screening of a documentary that I am making on the first “Deep South Pilgrimage” of Charlotte’s Black/Jewish Alliance. See the attached flyer for information and a registration link for the screening and panel discussion.
Charlotte’s Black/Jewish Alliance was formed in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. It is modeled after Atlanta’s Black/Jewish Alliance, which was organized decades ago. Rabbi Judy Schindler, Dr. Cindy Kistenberg, and Dr. Melvin Herring organized the first cohort. I tagged along on the first “Deep South Pilgrimage” to document the experience.
The June 1 event will feature a screening of the documentary, followed by a panel discussion that I believe will include members of the first two cohorts. I hope you will be able to join us.
CENTER FOR COMMUNITY TRANSITIONS: ART AUCTION FOR SECOND CHANCES June 11 | 12 - 3 PM | Mint Museum Uptown
We invite you to join us for the must-attend event of the year! We’re talking about our annual fundraiser, Art Auction for Second Chances on Sunday, June 11 from 12 pm - 3 pm at the Mint Museum Uptown.
You can bid on unique pieces donated by artists from right here in the Queen City, and beyond. It’s FREE and open to the public. Light appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages will be served. Cash bar available.
For details click HERE
RSVP HERE
MENTAL HEALTH CONVERSATION - MAY 31
BCDI-CHARLOTTE WILL HOST A READING CHECKUP AT REVIVE CHURCH
Read Charlotte worked with Learning Ovations, the California-based company behind A2i, to develop the Reading Checkup, which gives families a quick, simple way to learn their PreK-3rd grade child’s reading level.
We promote Reading Checkup directly to families, and also work with our community partners to integrate it into their family outreach work. More than 4,400 Reading Checkups have been completed since the tool was rolled out in Mecklenburg County in 2020.
Click HERE for more information
CANOPY HOUSING FOUNDATION GRANT DEADLINE May 31
Stacy S. Baum | sbaum@canopyrealtors.com | 704-940-3147 (o) / 704-808-0423 (m) Sponsorship Coordinator | Canopy Housing Foundation | Canopy Realtor® Association 1120 Pearl Park Way, Suite 200 | Charlotte, NC 28204
We appreciate the work that you do a daily basis to fulfill and address the local needs of our community. The May 31st deadline for the Canopy Housing Foundation’s 2023 Community Grants and Youth Excellence in Service (Y.E.S.) Awards is quickly approaching.
Our grants program provides restricted monetary support to nonprofit organizations in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties that address unmet housing needs. Grants are awarded in amounts up to $3,000, pending availability of funds, and cannot be used for operational, administrative, capital expenses or debt reduction. In 2022, the Foundation distributed community grants totaling $50,000 and the Community Grants Program has awarded a total of $414,600 in grants throughout its history.
Attached you will find additional criteria and information as well as the application itself. All submissions are ranked according to the following attributes: community impact, project feasibility, fiscal strength and Realtor® support. All non-profit organizations within Mecklenburg and Iredell counties who are addressing unmet housing needs are eligible to apply; however, please be aware that this is a competitive grant process.
We are also currently accepting nominations for our 5th Annual Youth Excellence in Service (Y.E.S.) Award. This award was established to encourage youth to address a broad spectrum of needs in an effort to build a stronger community. This would be a wonderful opportunity for you to honor a young person involved with your organization. The nomination form and additional information on this award is also attached.
For additional information about the Canopy Housing Foundation or our grants process, please visit www.CanopyHousingFoundation.org.
Again, thank you again for your contribution to the community - we look forward to possibly receiving a grant application or Y.E.S. nomination from your organization or from another organization in which you are affiliated prior to our MAY 31th deadline.
My email address is now sbaum@canopyrealtors.com. Please update contacts.
3. General Information
KIMAYO CONCERT @ CALDWELL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Friday, June 2 | 7 PM | Hope Hall
Kimayo has picked Caldwell for her Charlotte stop on an upcoming tour in which she sings about her healing and journey "back" to her faith.
Kimayo is a folk-pop artist, performing in New England since 2019. Her authentic and personal songs are relatable and vulnerable. Coming out as queer in Spring of 2021, her new music explores self-discovery with an adult contemporary sound. Her engaging performances even led to winning Best of the Lakes Region: Music (Solo) in 2022. Through her music, Kimayo seeks to cultivate connection, solidarity, and hope for each of her listeners. Kimayo opens up about her life, personal struggles, and overcoming hardships. From coming to terms with and celebrating her sexuality, to wrestling with her faith, she offers her experience with humility and vulnerability. Through poignant songs and narrative, Kimayo invites us all to welcome, affirm, and love unconditionally. This concert is open to adults and mature teens with parental discretion as this event contains sensitive topics relating to physical and mental health and will be followed by Dessert and Dialogue in Hope Hall.
PRAYER FOR NONPROFIT LEADERS
Mother Teresa: I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.
Next meeting – FOUR weeks from today June 8 - Thursday at 11 a.m.