By Carl Kenney
February 13, 2021
While the COVID-19 pandemic brings many organizations and plans to a halt, one Durham organization uses the opportunity to expand its reach. East Durham Children’s Initiative and Partners for Youth Opportunity are excited to announce their merger to form Durham Children’s Initiative (DCI). This merger has allowed for a significantly expanded capacity to help Durham […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
December 23, 2020
Story by Madison Reese DCI Intern The Durham VOICE Photos by Khadijah McFadden Teen Editor-in-Chief Durham Children’s Initiative (DCI) created “Holiday Zone” seven years ago to provide Christmas gifts for Durham families who need them. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, the traditional way Holiday Zone is executed had to change. The Holiday Zone […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
July 28, 2020
By David Reese, DCI President July 1 marked a monumental day in the history of the Durham Children’s Initiative (DCI). Not only have we officially changed our name to reflect our county-wide work with families and our support of the development of the Durham County Early Childhood Action Plan (ECAP), but we have also signed […]
Read moreBy Khadijah McFadden
May 6, 2020
“The yellow brick road with a pot of gold at the end,” are the words that David Reese, President and CEO of East Durham Children’s Initiative, uses to describe the upcoming merger between two local NGOs dedicated to helping Durham’s children have a better life. On July 1, Partners for Youth Opportunity, led by Julie […]
Read moreBy Celia Farmer
April 2, 2020
Two local nonprofits have announced exciting news: Partners for Youth Opportunity (PYO) and Durham Children’s Initiative (DCI) decided to merge as one nonprofit to scale their impact in Durham. On March 5, PYO held their annual Rise and Shine Breakfast fundraiser. During the breakfast the group discussed its report from the previous year and then […]
Read moreBy Brooklyn Brown
“StepUp Durham connects people with hope,” Tim Wollin, 39, of Minneapolis, program director for StepUp Durham, said. StepUp Durham is a nonprofit that offers services for job seekers in the Durham community. Located at 112 Broadway St., Suite B, Durham, StepUp Durham is a resource for free employment readiness training, personalized job coaching, employer referrals […]
Read moreBy Julia Masters
February 27, 2020
Beneath the faded New Visions of Africa sign, inside the unassuming barred building, Karen Santoro-Abdullah put a hand to her heart and choked back tears. “I love helping these people because it makes me feel good to give them respect,” Santoro-Abdullah said. “Respect gives people hope; if people are treated with respect and a smile, it could encourage […]
Read moreBy Celia Farmer
The local nonprofit, Partners for Youth Opportunity (PYO), that serves Durham youth impacted by systemic injustice will hold its largest fundraiser of the year on March 5: the Rise and Shine Breakfast. PYO organizes the annual event to celebrate its accomplishments with attendees and to announce its plans to scale the nonprofit’s impact for the […]
Read moreBy Sophia Wilhelm and Gianna Tahan
ReCity unites various organizations to fight against social issues within the city ReCity Network, a coworking social impact space, unites 47 organizations and over 100 community leaders to serve Durham. The Durham-based network, located at 112 Broadway St., began in 2016 after a group of faith leaders found research indicating that shared space can increase […]
Read moreBy Celia Farmer
February 13, 2020
Inside the room of Partners for Youth Opportunity (PYO), a nonprofit serving youth in Durham, there are picture frames that display the faces of past and current PYO students. Each face has a story to tell to anyone who walks through the door. Carlton Koonce, 37, of Durham, is the workforce development director at PYO. […]
Read moreBy Jazmine Bunch
This is a video series produced and reported for The Durham VOICE. “Documenting Durham’s Voices” will elevate the voices of and put a face to community members in Durham who are working in the community. The video series will also feature notable events that truly define what Durham is. Following the carbon monoxide crisis at […]
Read moreBy Sasha Schroeder
January 30, 2020
With over 1.2 million books donated since its founding, Book Harvest continues its dream of promoting reading and learning Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream — and so does Book Harvest, a Durham nonprofit that hosted its ninth annual Dream Big Book Drive and Community Celebration last week. “The Book Harvest dream is a […]
Read moreBy Victoria Johnson
Jazz legend Max Roach’s drums beat again Saturday night when five local musicians interpreted his rhythms to about 50 listeners at the Hayti Heritage Center. The concert, called “Freedom Day: A Tribute to Max Roach,” celebrated one of the most important drummers in modern jazz history, the Hayti musicians said. A North Carolina native born […]
Read moreBy Julia Masters
MLK Play Days, hosted by The W.G. Pearson Center and The Boys & Girls Club of Durham and Orange Counties, gave the displaced children from the McDougald Terrace community a place to play last Monday through Wednesday. Beginning Jan. 3, over 300 families from the McDougald Terrace community were evacuated indefinitely due to dangerous carbon […]
Read moreBy Gianna Tahan
As South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces (SEEDS) rings in the new year, Interim Executive Director Abby Goodman hopes to make their urban gardening programs more meaningful to all members of the Northeast Central Durham community. Founded in 1994, SEEDS is a two-acre urban garden and kitchen space located at 706 Gilbert St. The organization […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
December 12, 2019
By Brittany Cowan Education is a complex, often controversial topic for discussion, as the viewpoints of teachers, legislators, and community leaders can sometimes result in bitter conflict. In Durham County, the non-profit organization StudentU has been on a mission since 2005 to shift the conversation towards educational equity and serving student populations that may otherwise […]
Read moreBy Aaliyah Bowden
November 17, 2019
Abortion, women’s reproductive rights, and gender equality will be on the ballot in the 2020 presidential election. With that in mind, NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina, located in Durham, has joined 10 other participating organizations in launching a petition to make affordable reproductive health care an important topic on the debate stage. “The petition is asking […]
Read moreBy Heaven Gullate
July 30, 2019
Katrina Hayes, an Autism advocate, is passionate about bringing her craft into the streets of Raleigh and the surrounding areas. Hayes is a mother of a child with Autism and has occasionally hosted fundraising events to help the cause. “As the mother of a child with Autism, I have to be very cognizant where my […]
Read moreBy Celia McRae and Natasha Townsend
April 10, 2019
Between 2010-2011, Crystal Dreisbach wrote 200 letters to businesses throughout the Triangle. Her mission toward a more sustainable Durham was just beginning. The restaurants Dreisbach wrote to used Styrofoam, and she wanted to talk to distributors about sustainable alternatives, she said. She was working in public health research at the time, and Styrofoam takeout containers […]
Read moreBy Johnny Sobczak
The sun shines down on the picturesque spring afternoon of April 6 at Durham’s Bull City Ciderworks, and Independent Animal Rescue (IAR) is gathering nine of its foster dogs for its latest adoption event. The outdoor space includes a deck and large grassy area. Dozens of Durham residents are spread out across picnic tables, donning […]
Read moreBy Spencer Carney and Hannah McClellan
Urban Ministries of Durham, the largest downtown homeless shelter in the city, connects more than 6,000 people each year to food, shelter and other opportunities. Due to policy changes made in the last year and a half, people seeking shelter will no longer be turned away because they are under the influence of alcohol. Instead, […]
Read moreBy Diane Adame
March 27, 2019
As a 9-year-old, Kriddie Whitmore took a field trip to Ellerbe Creek that sparked her interest in preserving and removing invasive plants. She often relives this fond memory by preserving areas near her childhood home as a nature preserve steward with the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association (ECWA). “It’s a very volunteer-centered organization, and they always […]
Read moreBy Johnny Sobczak
It’s the crisp Saturday morning of March 23, and nonprofit groups are slowly setting up tables on the sidewalk outside of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for the 24th annual Great Human Race, hosted by the Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center (TNVLC). Many of the tables are covered in posters, pamphlets and brochures to […]
Read moreBy Natasha Townsend
Carmen Settles remembers the first time she learned that going to college after high school wasn’t for everyone. She could venture out on her own path and be successful. Although she graduated from North Carolina Central University with a marketing degree, Settles owes her success to Communities in Schools (CIS), a nonprofit that focuses on […]
Read moreBy Celia McRae
Erin Batten-Hicks finally found the community she had been missing when she transferred to Hillside High School and joined the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). “I never really had an opportunity to find more queer people and find that community while I was at my other school,” she said. “When I came […]
Read moreBy Cheyenne Beasley
February 28, 2019
Everyone goes through ups and downs in life, and Suzanne Clark openly shared that things have been very rough since she became homeless in September. Fortunately, the Salvation Army is helping her. On the morning of Friday, Feb. 22, she stood in a line outside the Salvation Army along with about 50 other people with […]
Read moreBy Hannah McClellan
On a cold and rainy February afternoon, 17-year-olds Samantha Vazquee and Demonte Bolden are not hiding inside – they’re hard at work repotting dozens of plants after a day at school. Vazquee and Bolden are two youth members of the DIG program, a youth-driven, urban farming and leadership development program started by South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable […]
Read moreBy Tianna Degraffenried
February 17, 2019
On Saturday iNSIDEoUT 180 had their first Queer Prom for adults at Arcana in Durham. Everyone appered to be having fun in the small locale with a downstairs bar and music playing songs from the ’80s to the present. iNSIDEoUT 180 is a non-profit organization for the LGBT community. It was founded in 2005 […]
Read moreBy Hannah Towey
February 13, 2019
Angel Hope’s first day of class at Hillside High School, a significant event in any teenager’s life, was supposed to be Aug. 27, 2015. But the day would soon prove to be even more important as she gave birth to her daughter, Gabrielle, at the age of 15. Four first days of school and three […]
Read moreBy Hannah McClellan
According to the 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, about 1,200 homeless people are living in shelters or transitional housing in Durham. Robin, who asked to keep her last name anonymous to protect her children’s identity, is one of them. Robin, a veteran and National Guardsman, is staying at a shelter in Durham with her three […]
Read moreBy Diane Adame
January 31, 2019
Kidznotes musicians used their opera voices to tell the dramatic French love story of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.” The students performed as the children’s chorus alongside the stars of the North Carolina Opera on Jan. 25 and Jan. 27 at the Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh. The opera performance featured hypnotic choreography, human drama and popular hit […]
Read moreBy Celia McRae
January 30, 2019
On Friday morning, Liz Herron met outside of the Durham County Courthouse with staff members of the Durham Crisis Response Center and began her four-day trek to raise awareness for human trafficking. Herron started Miles for Hope last year when she ran from Charlotte to Durham with her dad to raise awareness for human trafficking […]
Read moreBy Natasha Townsend and Arianna Swain
Marneshia Gonzales’ “Nancy Drew” books were being boxed up at the Book Harvest Dream Big Book Drive. They were her childhood favorites, and she wanted to share them. The 12-year-old, who is in sixth grade, was giving books away with her mother, Deidre Gonzales, at the eighth-annual book drive on Jan. 21, Martin Luther King […]
Read moreBy Keeley Gay
The white, vine-covered building situated along Durham’s American Tobacco Trail is more than it appears. What used to be an old, small Piggly Wiggly has been transformed into a community-focused dance, yoga and music studio. Threehouse Studios opened their doors to the public on Oct. 22, 2017. The idea of a multipurpose studio was developed […]
Read moreBy John Bauman
Donna Bennett rose, bravely, to share her story. Her truth. “Good afternoon, my name is Donna Bennett. I will be reading a piece I wrote,” she said. “Number one in your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your own self-worth and your own somebodiness. Having a deep belief in yourself […]
Read moreBy Hannah Towey
The Habitat for Humanity building site on the corner of Dowd Street and North Elizabeth Street felt surprisingly quiet for an active construction zone. Not for lack of activity — three volunteers along with the site supervisor were busy building a sizable shed in the backyard of the soon-to-be home of five. But between the […]
Read moreBy Carlton Koonce
January 27, 2019
A pair of Durham nonprofits have formed a strategic alliance to extend services to local youth and their families beyond each organization’s individual capacity. The new partners are the East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI) and Partners for Youth Opportunity (PYO). Under the plan PYO, which focuses on services to high schools students, will offer […]
Read moreBy Deja Finch
November 14, 2018
With the holiday season approaching, many look forward to their once-a- year rituals, but this may not be accessible to everyone. For 40 years, Meals on Wheels has been combating food scarcity among Durham’s senior population. Community Outreach Director Arnette Read explained, “Usually clients are homebound, living alone, unable to cook, and unable to shop.” […]
Read moreBy Wade McCreary
October 19, 2018
Homelessness and addiction are phenomena that have pushed so many over the edge. But the men living at the Durham Rescue Mission have high hopes for a better life. Located at 1201 East Main Street, the Mission takes in on average 300-320 men on a daily basis. The Durham Rescue Mission was launched 45 years […]
Read moreBy Qaadir McFadden and Khadijah McFadden
October 9, 2018
Normally when people hear of professional or business conferences, they immediately think of an adult event. However, the Emily K Center, Durham Youth Commission, Made in Durham and Partners for Youth and Opportunity, all youth-serving non-profit organizations in Durham, decided to switch up the old format by hosting a youth conference earlier this fall […]
Read moreBy Cameron A. Rogers
October 5, 2018
“For a quarter of a century, SEEDS has sought to uplift communities in Downtown Durham through growing, cooking and sharing food,” said the SEEDS foundation on their Harvest Dinner invitation. “We hope that you will join us for a celebration of 25 years of SEEDS history and to support the next 25 years of building […]
Read moreBy Isaiah Ball
October 3, 2018
The Durham Rescue Mission has been doing its part by serving the community longer than any other outreach center in North Carolina. The devastating effects of Hurricane Florence have dramatically increased the Center’s efforts. “You never know how it feels to go without, until a disaster hits home,” said Jalil Lewis, a volunteer at […]
Read moreBy Christina Gordon
September 28, 2018
Local community-based, non-profit Healing with CAARE, Inc. was prepared for Hurricane Florence ahead of time. With the help of the Inter-faith Food Shuttle, they managed to provide plenty of food to about 40 senior citizens. They were the emergency shelter for the medically fragile, homeless participants who have substance abuse, and veterans. Those participants were […]
Read moreBy Cheyenne Beasley
When some school kids hear news of a hurricane, they might be glad because they may get out of school. Similarly, some adults may view the approaching storm as an excuse to take a day off. But for some people, a hurricane means more work — especially like the people working at the Durham branch […]
Read moreBy Wade McCreary
September 10, 2018
The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club on Alston Avenue in Durham has been serving the community since 1933, and since then, the program has contributed to major accomplishments for local children. The programs at the club have helped the children reach their full potential effectively. The goal of the Boys and Girls Club […]
Read moreBy Isaiah Ball
“Pride to me is a day where we recognize there is not just one way to live.” Helana Cragg is the executive director of the LGBTQ Center of Durham. Her vision began in 2014 when she recognized a need to establish a center in heart of downtown. She recognized the center in Raleigh could […]
Read moreBy Jennifer Maxwell
The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People continued its legacy celebrating the eighty-third Annual Founders’ Day Gala at the Durham Convention Center on Aug. 25, honoring local community members who demonstrate black excellence. The mission of the DCABP, according to a statement from Chairman Omar S. Beasley, is to promote the welfare […]
Read moreBy Kenzie Cook
May 8, 2018
Maesa Al-Amin, 17, is a senior at Southern School of Energy and Sustainability. She is a competitive dancer on the school’s dance team with dreams of owning her own dance company and dancing in music videos. She has performed at the Durham Performing Arts Center for “An Evening of Entertainment” and at Hillside High […]
Read moreBy Tenley Garrett
April 16, 2018
Hard work deserves recognition. But more than that, it deserves celebration. This year’s Women’s Empowerment VIP breakfast held at the Raleigh Renaissance Hotel on Saturday, April 14, provided the perfect platform for such festivities. The breakfast was set to begin at 8 a.m. in the Renaissance Hotel’s ballroom. The room was reserved exclusively for […]
Read moreBy Marissa O'Neill
April 11, 2018
On Earth Day weekend, April 20-21, the Scrap Exchange will celebrate both its 27th birthday and the grand opening of its new store, Scrap Thrift. It will also host its second DIY (Do It Yourself) Fest for the Durham community. The Scrap Exchange, founded in 1991, bought its current space, a formerly abandoned church, […]
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