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RWCI residents remain disproportionately impacted by the public health and racial equity crises. Residents are experiencing high levels of stress and trauma, with their sense of safety diminishing. This is evident in matters of food security, education, and the digital divide, childcare, and employment. In March, 26% of the neighborhood employment rate decreased suddenly from […]
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Engage with Age: A Partnership That’s Inspiring Us All Engage With Age (EWA), a two-year program and partnership between Southminster, UNC Charlotte, and Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI), has helped to promote successful aging and development across the lifespan for seniors living in The Retreat at RWCI. The program is designed to provide engaging activities to […]
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The two senior centers formed a partnership of sorts a few years ago, but it’s taken on a new meaning in recent months. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two retirement communities from very different parts of Charlotte are coming together to help each other get through the pandemic. Many seniors already were facing depression and anxiety before […]
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Michael Mascia with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, LLC invited RWCI CEO, Mack McDonald to participate in his webcast called, FFF Industry Conversations. Thank you, Michael, for inviting RWCI to share our mission! Click Here to View!
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It’s not every day that you meet someone that truly inspires you, reminds you of what is important in life, and provides a perspective on his/her life that makes you re-vision yours. That is what Kizwunda and her four daughters have done for the RWCI team and community. It is especially inspiring during a time […]
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (June 29, 2020) — Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI) announced today that the organization has received the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designation of an EnVision Center Demonstration site. This designation allows federal partners to bring resources to the local community and assist residents to participate in, contribute to, and benefit […]
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RWCI’s primary service area includes 466 family units. RWCI also serves children and families through its Education Village: The Howard Levine Child Development Center (HLCDC) and Renaissance West STEAM Academy (RWSA). Over half of the children at RWSA and HLCDC live in RWCI’s primary service area. HLCDC is operated by the YMCA of Greater Charlotte […]
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Students in RWCI’s High School Equivalency (HSE) class gathered together virtually to celebrate the end of the semester. Keynote Speaker, Raushawna Price from Eyrie Success, has been an incredible leader throughout this year’s class. Raushawna energy is contagious as she is constantly encouraging and sharing wisdom. In her keynote speech, one piece of advice that she shared was about support systems: “You have […]
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You are the reason that RWCI is providing necessary resources for residents in the neighborhood during the pandemic, while maintaining safety for staff and residents. Thanks to the help of our community partners, residents are receiving essential services and products. Listening to residents and providing support are some of the important ways we can show up in the […]
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Dear Supporters and Partners, As we continue to pivot towards new norms, most of which we hope will be temporary, some of us are struggling with what we are feeling, what we are hearing and what we are seeing. Last week we gave you an update on how Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI) was able […]
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Dear Supporters and Partners, It is an understatement that all of us are impacted by the seriousness, complexity and unpredictability being caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. None more so than the families we serve at Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI). This letter is to update you on how RWCI is responding to this crisis. The safety […]
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Going back to school for anyone takes determination and courage. Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) is helping residents’ dreams come true by financially supporting RWCI’s High School Equivalency (HSE) Program, (also known as GED,) for the second year in a row. Staying true to the RWCI model, the program is place-based and available to residents 3 nights […]
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RWCI was honored to welcome U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson M.D., to Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI) on January 7, 2020. Secretary Carson was hosted by Enlivian, formerly the Charlotte Housing Authority, and Renaissance was chosen as the location for one of his stops and a press conference. Upon his arrival […]
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Like many residents at Renaissance West, Monique is a mother with three sons who moved to Little Rock five years ago after living with her mother. “Working with a Life Navigator” is just one way that she describes how herself and her family have grown since moving to Renaissance West. She loves that her boys […]
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Courtney Baucom, a resident living in The Renaissance West neighborhood was interviewed about her journey from homelessness to home ownership. Since living in the Renaissance, Courtney has increased her access to resources, including new opportunities, and is currently changing her life for the better. Her outlook on life is more positive than ever. She has […]
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Stacey Clark Named by CMS & RWCI as new STEAM Academy Principal Stacey tells us a little about herself…. “Education has always been my passion. For the past 17 years, I worked for CMS at the high school, middle school, elementary school, and alternative school levels. My roles included teacher of English, Title I specialist, […]
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As an under-invested area of Charlotte, it is critically important for RWCI to fill this gap and make vital needs of the community accessible. One way that RWCI makes sure that its 1300+ residents have access to everything they need, (food, health and wellness, after school programming, family programming, financial planning, tax prep, and other […]
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This year, Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI) recruited summer interns to help support the organization with data analysis, evaluation, storytelling, social media, and donor relations. This energetic group has jumped right in assisting with corporate volunteer projects, creating our first Instagram account, collecting stories and taking pictures of summer programs, along with writing blog stories […]
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Through a holistic community redevelopment approach, Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI) is increasing food security for over 1300 residents on West Boulevard. Successful engagement by our Life Navigators has led to weekly mobile food markets, drawing a big crowd of residents each week. A mobile food market is one way that RWCI is ensuring that […]
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Join us for breakfast on Thursday, May 16 from 7:45am – 9:00am to benefit Renaissance West Annual Giving. Over 125 guests enjoyed headline speaker Doug Jutte, MD, MPH, Executive Director of the Healthy Places Network and Associate Professor at UC-Berkley on Thursday, May 16, 2019. Read Doug’s bio here. Doug has shared his presentation with […]
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One special focus of this year’s Giving Tuesday campaign at RWCI will be our teachers serving at Renaissance West STEAM Academy (RWSA). Teachers who work each day to help children succeed and reach their potential need a place to rejuvenate during the school day. This year, RWCI wants to provide a space for all teachers […]
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Warren Buffett, co-founder of Purpose Built Communities, reflects Dr. David Williams discussing investing in Early Education Former Atlanta Mayor and Executive Board Chair, Shirley Franklin
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Bank of America Jun 29, 2018 It’s no secret that Charlotte faces a shortage of affordable housing, and that the shortage contributes to inequality, lack of mobility and poor education outcomes. “We have a very large deficit,” says Julie Porter, executive director of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, a nonprofit development and financial corporation dedicated to […]
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BOCC Approves Fiscal Year 2019 Operating Budget The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners approved the Fiscal Year 2019 operating budget during its regular meeting Tuesday night. The $1.7-billion budget is an increase of $33 million, or 1.9 percent, over the current Fiscal Year 2018 operating budget. It maintains the County’s commitment to providing critical services […]
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With New Grants, United Way Shifts Focus To Neighborhoods By David Boraks • Jun 7, 2018 United Way of Central Carolinas announced $24.5 million in new grants Thursday, and the list has a different look from years past. The agency is shifting some funding to initiatives to improve economic opportunity and mobility. <img src=”http://wfae.org/sites/wfae/files/styles/default/public/201806/060618RenaissanceWest.jpg” alt=”Renaissance […]
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How hope, dreams are improving Charlotte neighborhood Mary Elizabeth DeAngelis: May 02, 2018 New initiative takes cradle-to-career approach to improving lives in Renaissance West In a cozy room filled with windows, books and cheerful posters, two kindergartners practice letter sounds by playing a picture game on a carpet mat. A few doors down, third-graders […]
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Charlotte Organizations Use Early Childhood Education To Help Break Poverty Cycle By Jessa O’Connor • 5/1/2018 A Charlotte study that came out last year identified access to quality pre-kindergarten education as a key factor in making sure that children who are born into poverty have a chance of rising out of it in their lifetimes. […]
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A Sense of Place. A Point of Pride. March 29, 2018 | By ASC Charlotte Categories: Blog, Home Featured Monique Luck’s “Welcoming Dreams,” a mosaic she created in 2016 with artistic input from residents, signals a new day for the Renaissance West community. The mixed-income community is what became of the Boulevard Homes, the formerly […]
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An Educational Pipeline Comes to Life in Charlotte In their navy blue and gold uniforms, 400 students entered the new K-5 Renaissance West STEAM Academy on the west side of Charlotte, North Carolina on a fall morning in 2017. This day was the first of many designed to get the students on a new trajectory […]
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