ourBRIDGE for KIDS – Croixstone

Education Innovation

Did you know that Charlotte is one of six cities in the USA identified by The Brookings Institute (a nonprofit public policy organization) as a “major-emerging immigrant gateway“? With more than one quarter of a million immigrants, Charlotte’s ability to integrate immigrants (especially when it comes to education, occupational training, and English language ability) is critical for our city to make the most of its immigrant population and their mostly U.S.-born offspring.

Croixstone’s founder, Mark Weber, serves as Board Chair of ourBRIDGE for KIDS, an innovative, nonprofit afterschool program that serves more than 100 CMS families representing 20 cultures on Charlotte’s east side. Sil Ganzó, ourBRIDGE founder and Executive Director, was recently profiled by StyleBlueprint as a “FACE of Charlotte.”

Welcoming Week

Welcoming America returned to Charlotte on Friday, September 15th, for a week long series of events to celebrate National Welcoming Week. The events during Welcoming Week are focused on bringing together immigrants and U.S.-born residents to raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone – including new Americans. Croixstone’s founder, Mark Weber, is Chairman of the Board of Directors for ourBRIDGE for KIDS, a nonprofit afterschool program for immigrant and refugee children here in Charlotte that provides an inclusive and welcoming environment.

During Welcoming Week, ourBRIDGE is opening its doors and inviting the community to the inauguration of the organization’s new afterschool center in east Charlotte on Sunday, September 17th from 3 – 6 p.m. at 3925 Willard Farrow Drive, Charlotte, NC, 28215. The public is welcome to attend!

Learn more about ourBRIDGE for KIDS here.

Read about ourBRIDGE for KIDS’ new home and partnership with Aldersgate here.

See how ourBRIDGE for KIDS won Amazon’s #TickSaveMyCity contest here.

Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance Award Winners 2017

This month, the Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance hosted a series of events in Charlotte in celebration of National Mentoring Month.

The events — which included a mentoring town hall, mentor 101 training, an agency/mentor speed networking session and awards ceremony — helped provide community members with more information about the importance of mentoring, connected potential and existing mentors to local mentoring agencies, and celebrated the great work that mentors do in our community.

The Croixstone Consulting team congratulates the following people and organizations who were honored at last week’s award gala at the Harvey B. Gantt Center:

Mentor of the Year — Jordan Boyd
Mentee of the Year — Dajanique Burton
Group Mentors of the Year — Alphas of Charlotte
Business Partner of the Year —Beacon Partners
Alliance Best Practices (Large Agency) — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte
Alliance Best Practices (Small Agency) — WINGS for Kids
Educational Leadership in Mentoring — ourBRIDGE for KIDS

A special shout out to Sil Ganzo (Executive Director) and the ourBRIDGE for KIDS team! ourBRIDGE empowers refugee and immigrant children and their families through education and cultural awareness and is one of Croixstone’s designated charities. Mark Weber, Croixstone’s Managing Partner and Founder, currently serves as the Board Chair with this high-impact non-profit organization.

Learn more here.