Blogs

Bridges Update

March 11, 2010

In preparation for the current Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World course, we re-visited a useful table in Phil DeVol’s facilitators’ guide on how issues are addressed at different economic levels. It utilizes the different foci of attention that undergird the Hidden Rules.

POVERTY	MIDDLE CLASS	WEALTH
Having a job Hourly wages	Appropriate, challenging job Salary and benefits	Maintenance and growth of assets Quality and quantity of workforce
Safety of schools	Quality of schools	K-12 higher education continuum Technical innovation Intermediate colleges and trade schools
A place to rent/live Affordable housing	Property values Quality of schools Quality of neighborhood	Corporate investment potential Infrastructure to support development
Welfare benefits	Taxes	Balance of trade Percentage of taxes Tort liability Corporate contributions Percentage of government indebt
Fairness of law enforcement Gangs	Safety Crime rates	Risk management Bond ratings Insurance ratings
Access to emergency rooms	Cost of medical insurance Quality and expertise of medical profession	Cost/predicted costs of medical benefits Workers’ compensation
Public transportation	Network of freeways Traffic congestion Time commuting	Systems of transportation (railway, bus, air, etc.) Maintenance of the infrastructure
Have enough food	Access to quality restaurants Variety/quality of food available	Access to high-quality restaurants Amenities for clients Availability of fresh food

Upcoming Bridges seminars

These seminars are 6 hours in total, offered in 2 three-hour blocks)

contact Paul by email or phone (704-926-0612) if you’d like to register

Day One (Class Matters) –

Christ Lutheran Church, 4545 Providence Road, March 12 (6-9 pm) & March 13 (9 am – noon)

Avondale Presbyterian Church, 2821 Park Road, March 17 & 24, 6-9 pm

Christ Episcopal Church, 1412 Providence Road, April 24, 9 am – 4 pm

Day Two (Building Relationships) –

Urban Ministry Center, March 20 & 27, 9 am - noon

If you (or someone you know) wants to be on the Bridges prospects list, email Paul - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ArtWorks945 at the Charlotte Art League

ArtWorks945 Blog

Jewel Reavis, president and gallery rental chair of the Charlotte Art League, has generously donated ArtWorks 945 wall space at CAL's upcoming exhibit. The theme for the exhibit is METAMORPHOSIS. CAL is located in SouthEnd, at 1517 Camden Road. The exhibit will open this Friday March 5 from 6-9pm, during the South End Gallery Crawl. Come join us in celebrating our artists' work, as well as the work of other community artists. We're hoping to get some of our artists to the opening, too! See you there.

Thanks to CAL for their new partnership with us! For more information on the Charlotte Art League, visit their website at www.charlotteartleague.org.

Troop 162 Collaborates with Street Soccer 945

Street Soccer Blog

Saturday, Kevin Gassaway and Troop 162 spearheaded an effort to build walls for the outdoor Street Soccer court at the Urban Ministry Center. Thanks for all your hard work! Below, Kevin shares his experience.

Today I spent the morning at the Urban Ministry Center with the Street Soccer 945 team and with several members of my Boy Scout Troop 162. We were there building a new wall for the street soccer court since the old one was run down and not in good condition. We cut 2x8's, painted plywood, drilled nails, and put the wall together. Craig(Swagger), Jose, Justin, Osman, Fransisco, Pete, Brittany, and other members of the team helped us out with the project.

After we finished building the wall, Swagger, Pete, and Brittany talked to us about the Street Soccer program. Swagger talked about the confidence that it brought him to play soccer and how it helped him not only on the court, but off it as well. When we finished hearing about his experience in the program, we got to test the walls out with a 3 on 3 Street Soccer Tournament, while we ate lunch with the players. Each team had 2 Boy Scouts and a member of the Street Soccer team. The Czech Republic (Jose, Anthony Dellamea, and Conor Renaghan) beat Mexico (Osman, Fransisco, and Brittany) in a shootout to win the tournament. The wall passed our test and worked out very well. Hopefully it will be helpful in the future as well.

The players were all really fun to play with and taught me a lot. They would help me if I did anything wrong and encouraged me and the rest of the group to do well. My team didn't get to win the tournament, but it was still a lot of fun to get to play with Swagger and all of the other players. Today was a really fun experience and I would love to play with them again, and even help out on the team.

Check out this video to see more.

To learn more about Street Soccer 945 and to get involved, contact Brittany at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Street Soccer Wins Season Opener