Latest news with #HighPointCommunityFoundation
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Triad nonprofit empowers breastfeeding mothers
PIEDMONT TRIAD, N.C. (WGHP) — About 83% of new moms choose to breastfeed, but numbers from the CDC show only about 24% are still breastfeeding six months later, and it's not always by choice. There's an organization in the Piedmont Triad that's trying to give moms more power in making the breastfeeding decision, and it's with the help of a community foundation. 'I get calls all the time from people needing lactation consults, and one of the initial questions that I have to ask is who their insurance provider is, and it is heartbreaking when people call and they don't have health insurance, and they can't afford the visit.' That's part of the reason why Dr. Lisa Miller founded Empowering Breastfeeding, Inc. The nonprofit provides free breastfeeding support to mothers in Davidson, Randolph, and Guilford Counties as well as parts of Forsyth County. Her mission is to remove obstacles for any woman who wants to continue breastfeeding, especially money. 'Lactation consultations can be expensive and insurance, private insurance, pays for lactation consults for about six visits, but Medicaid does not,' says Miller. 'So, we received grant funding from the High Point Community Foundation to provide these same visits to people who have Medicaid or don't have private, commercial health insurance.' Kayla Vining is one of those mothers. She has four children. The first was born in 2016 before the birth of Empower Breastfeeding, Inc. Despite her experience, she turned to the nonprofit for guidance with her last three babies, including her youngest daughter, Nora, born in late 2024. Vining says, 'Even as a second-time mom, breastfeeding is still, every child is different, every breastfeeding journey is different for each child, and so going through this program, no matter what kind of issues that you're having, it's there really just to help you get through any issues that you're having whether you feel like you aren't making enough milk, or you feel like you're engorged, or maybe the baby isn't latching well, the lactation consultant is there to help you address any of those concerns.' Vining joins other mothers at a meeting of the Baby Cafe. It's a free resource where moms can come together for guidance and much-needed reassurance. 'There's a lactation consultant on hand, and she can help you with any breastfeeding issues you may have, and there's other breastfeeding moms there so you get to connect with other breastfeeding women that may be going through the same issues that you are having, or maybe you're not having an issue and just want to connect with other breastfeeding moms, and so, it's such an awesome place to go to speak with that lactation consultant if you're having issues but then to connect with other breastfeeding moms in the Triad as well.' At the Baby Cafe, moms not only get support, but babies are checked and weighed to make sure they're getting enough milk. The lactation consultant can also make home visits. It's an important way to make breastfeeding moms feel at ease, regardless of how many babies they've delivered. Vining says, 'So the first baby is always the hardest to breastfeed, but we see new and returning mothers.' The office for Empower Breastfeeding, Inc. is on Salem Street in Thomasville. There are three different Baby Cafes – one in Thomasville, one in High Point and one in Greensboro. You can find more information on the website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
High Point organization helping autistic children is now a Ceritifed Autism Center
HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — An organization that gives kids the tools they need to thrive and grow is now a Certified Autism Center. The staff at D-UP completed a certification process by learning how to support and assist autistic and sensory-sensitive children. D-UP also just received a $3 million commitment from the Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation, and along with the help of the High Point Community Foundation, the agency is teaching children vital life skills. Inside the small building on Washington Street in High Point, you'll find big dreams and an even bigger goal. 'We're removing stigma, and our programs are absolutely free because of the funding we receive, and it's not only for the youth that attend our programs but also for their families,' says Jakki Davis, co-founder and executive director of D-UP. It offers 16 different programs that are all designed to get families moving, learning and preparing to cope with whatever the future may bring. A grant from the Community Foundation of High Point helps fund one of the programs called 'Well Centered Me.' It promotes mental, social and emotional well-being, and it helps empower people who survive trauma. Davis says, in a post-COVID world, that's more important than ever before. 'I think it's important that we not have that stigma that is mental illness,' she says. ''No, I don't want to talk about my mental health, I don't want to talk about mental wellness' because social media and, again, traumatic experiences, the violence that we have, racial discrimination, all of that plays into who we are, and we just need sometimes someplace to land, a safe place, and that's what we have here at D-UP.' Children have a secure space to draw pictures, plant vegetables, do yoga, cook meals and even try dance. Princess Johnson with Royal Expressions Contemporary Ballet says, at first, the kids at D-UP feel like dance is a foreign language, but once they get moving, it weaves a story that will enrich their lives. 'I hope that through dance classes they will learn to be in tune with their bodies and know when there's something wrong and know whenever it's time for them to work on something physically or mentally or emotionally,' says Johnson. 'All of those things impact how our bodies feel and our health and wealth.' D-UP also has a program that focuses on the mental and physical well-being of women. It's something Davis says is too often ignored. 'The Women's Wellness program is about finding that mental health, that self-care that most women you know neglect,' Davis says. 'We're going to kind of take care of everybody else, but when it comes to ourselves, we neglect to do that, so the women's wellness program gives us the opportunity to teach women how to take time for yourself, because if you're not healthy, it's hard for you to care for others. ' Participants such as Odaray Mora-Morejon say the program has taught the importance of self-care through a variety of activities. 'Every time you come, it's something new. It's something that you may not have had the opportunity to do if you didn't come participate, like the lotion making,' Mora-Morejon says. 'I know one was very special, the charcuterie board, something that you don't often think about that would put you in a better mood as you go about your life for the rest of the week.' Davis says we may not realize it, but it's those little things that add up day after day to help us improve long-term mental wellness. That's why Children at D-UP have to do an emotional check-in every day they visit because Davis says, 'We want to know, 'How did your day go? What happened?' It's very hard for kids sometimes to tell you what's wrong, but they can definitely tell you what happened.' Davis says the ultimate goal is to help everyone learn coping strategies regardless of what life brings. She says when children receive those tools at a young age, they're prepared to take control of their lives as they get older. For more information about D-UP, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Affordable housing fund passes part of goal
HIGH POINT — The David R. Hayworth Foundation will commit $1 million to a new affordable housing initiative being organized by a local nonprofit, putting the initiative over part of its fundraising goal. The goal of the High Point Community Foundation's Housing Impact Fund is to raise $10 million from public and private sources and $30 million from banks and other lenders, and the Hayworth donation pushes it to $10.5 million from public and private sources, the foundation said. Since longtime High Point philanthropist David Hayworth died July 1, 2022, his private foundation has been investing in projects that he would have supported, and it is the High Point Community Foundation's goal to keep his name and spirit alive in the community he so loved, community foundation President Paul Lessard said. 'David loved High Point and always looked for ways to make our community stronger. I know he would be pleased that this money will go to provide high-quality housing for children and families,' Lessard said. The concept is for the fund to be used to provide loans for developers to build multifamily 'workforce housing' rental units in High Point for teachers, firefighters, police officers and others who earn less than the area median income. The loans would carry low interest rates and terms that make affordable projects attractive for developers. Its goal will be to generate 1,000 housing units over 20 years. Self-Help Ventures Fund, a nonprofit lender based in Durham, will lend the money. High Point University announced a $500,000 gift to the fund in February, and the City Council committed $2 million last month. The Hayworth Foundation's commitment brings the total raised to about $8.5 million.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
High Point Community Foundation program seeks to improve student literacy
(WGHP) — The North Carolina House is now considering a bill that would provide money to help more people learn to read. 54% of adults in the United States read below a sixth-grade level. Nearly one in five adults reads below a third-grade level. Illiteracy is a national problem that touches communities in the Piedmont Triad. It's been an ongoing issue in High Point for decades. When most adults worked in furniture or textiles, they didn't have to be able to read well to do their jobs, but times have changed, and while House Bill 342 moves through the legislative process, the High Point Community Foundation is working hand-in-hand with Guilford County Schools to help the next generation of workers change too. 'About two years ago, one of my chairmen challenged me to come up with an initiative that could change our city. The entire city.' After several months of research, Paul Lessard realized students in Guilford County Schools needed extra help today to be ready for tomorrow, and as President of the High Point Community Foundation, he could help make it happen through the . 'Ultimately, what I realized was, if you take any of the social problems we have in High Point, and any economic problems, if you dig deep enough you will find that it's education, and specifically literacy.' Lessard says public schools do a wonderful job, but they're never given enough money. He says it'll take the business sector, the private sector, and the philanthropic sector to underwrite programs that help the schools produce future workers with literacy skills to be successful in high-tech jobs. 'What we realized early on is it's not an issue of not knowing how to do it, it was an issue of manpower and money.'' Through the Students First Initiative, the High Point Community Foundation is helping fund what's called . The former Chief of Staff for Guilford County Schools, Jose Oliva, explains 'high-dosage tutoring happens with high frequency, so two to six hours per week, these are not tutors who tutor a group of students, this is either in a small setting, one to one, or one to two, and the tutors are trained with our core curriculum.' Federal funds paid for the tutoring during the COVID pandemic, but that money's running out. Now, the Students First Initiative will start by funding high-dosage tutoring at four High Point Elementary Schools with plans to expand. Lessard says, 'we're going to draw a line in the sand and say no kid in High Point is going to get past third grade without reading at grade level. If we can do that successfully, imagine what the ripple effect will be.' Lessard says the time and money invested in children today will create a stronger workforce in the years ahead and benefit everyone in High Point. 'When we talk about this being the right moral and ethical thing to do, it's also the right economic development thing to do. We can either pay now or pay a lot more later.' Last week, the High Point Community Foundation donated $400,000 to boost high-dosage tutoring. NC House Bill 342 would allocate $5 million dollars to support the program. It passed the first reading and has been referred to the Committee on Appropriations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City commits $2M to housing fund
HIGH POINT — The city of High Point will commit $2 million to a new affordable housing initiative being organized by a local nonprofit. The City Council on Monday unanimously authorized the final step in the process of appropriating the donation for the High Point Community Foundation Housing Impact Fund. The venture is seeking to raise $40 million to provide loans for the development of multifamily 'workforce housing' rental units in High Point for teachers, firefighters, police officers and others who earn less than the area median income. The goal of the fund is to raise $10 million from public and private sources and $30 million from banks and other lenders. The concept is for the fund to loan money at low interest rates and with terms that make affordable projects attractive for developers. Its goal will be to generate 1,000 housing units over 20 years. Self-Help Ventures Fund, a nonprofit lender based in Durham, will lend the money out. In addition to the city's contribution, High Point University in February announced a $500,000 gift to the fund, which has brought in total commitments of about $7.5 million since January. The $2 million through the city will comprise $1.6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds granted to the city, with the remaining $393,418 to come from premium proceeds on the sale of 2019 housing bonds. City voters that year authorized $6.5 million for affordable housing. According to the city, that amount was allocated to the High Point Housing Authority's redevelopment of the former Daniel Brooks Homes public housing complex site into a new housing community called Legacy Ridge.
