On the evening of January 17th, I found myself racing against the clock to complete my essays for the Bank of America Student Leaders program. Although I had heard great things about the program and knew someone who had participated the year before, I didn't fully understand what I was getting into. In April, after receiving an email notifying me that I was a semifinalist, I took part in a phone interview with a local Bank of America representative. During this interview, I began to grasp the incredible opportunity ahead of me as a potential Student Leader. Ultimately, Sheel Patel and I were selected to represent the Coastal North Carolina market.
Over the next seven weeks, we were privileged to work at the Harrelson Center in downtown Wilmington. The Harrelson Center has a team of eleven staff members—two full-time and the rest part-time—who handle administrative and logistical tasks that support smaller nonprofits, helping them thrive. Jo Ann Carter Harrelson, a member of First Baptist Church, located next door, was diagnosed with cancer in the early 2000s and envisioned transforming the next-door former county jail into a hub for local benefit. Since then, the Harrelson Center has grown exponentially, increasing its impact yearly. The Harrelson Center is now home to twenty partner nonprofits, all focused on humanitarian work. Today, the Center provides its nonprofit partners with social and educational opportunities, marketing and promotion support, volunteer recruitment, and a collaborative environment to serve the community better.
Additionally, the Center offers below-market rental rates that include utilities, parking, and security, enabling its partners to operate efficiently and maximize their funding. Since the completion of the Annex building, the Center has offered its partners, as well as other registered charitable organizations, affordable event space for fundraising and other uses. Three years ago, the Center began partnering with the Bank of America Student Leaders program, offering rising high school seniors and college freshmen the chance to learn about local issues and develop skills to serve their communities better.
On my first day at the Harrelson Center, the entire staff attended an off-campus meeting at Eden Village, which opened my eyes to the homelessness crisis in the Cape Fear Region. Wilmington has over 500 chronically unhoused individuals, many of whom struggle with substance abuse, PTSD, or other long-term challenges that make maintaining stable housing difficult. Eden Village is one of only two communities in the United States offering 600-square-foot homes in a secure, enclosed environment specifically designed for these individuals. What makes Eden Village genuinely remarkable is its locally-driven approach. Each home is fully furnished and funded by local individuals, businesses, and churches. One section, "Church Row," features a dozen homes sponsored by a different church. With 31 units, Eden Village provides essential housing for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
From Soaring as Eagles, a pre-K development program for disadvantaged youth, to LINC (Leading Into New Communities), which supports individuals transitioning from incarceration back into society, the Harrelson Center offers essential resources to many in the Port City. Despite thinking I knew the area well and being familiar with local organizations and resources, I was unaware of the Harrelson Center's extensive efforts. One of the most eye-opening places I worked was The Help Hub, part of the Harrelson Center. The Help Hub provides emergency services to those who risk losing utilities like power or water or facing eviction due to unforeseen circumstances. For example, I witnessed an individual who had fallen ill, lost their job, and was $200 short of keeping their power and water on. The Help Hub stepped in, paying the utility company directly and offering a "hand up" rather than a handout.
Sheel and I had the opportunity to contribute by writing over $100,000 worth of grants, including funds for The Help Hub and an emergency generator for the Harrelson Center, along with fiscal support for other nonprofit partners. While we have yet to see the results of these grants, we remain optimistic that our hard work will make a meaningful impact on the Wilmington community. We also got to attend the ribbon-cutting of a new Habitat for Humanity program in Brunswick County; we attended as liaisons from the Harrelson Center and saw firsthand how Habitat for Humanity benefits those needing housing.
In mid-July, just days before the first major hurricane of the season, Sheel and I attended the hurricane management and disaster training session at the New Hanover County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The new government building, next to Ten Pin Alley on College Road, houses the EOC and is designed to withstand a Category Five hurricane. It is activated whenever a threat arises in the county, and the training highlights how extensive and committed the county's support networks are. Over thirty organizations, including government agencies, the Harrelson Center, local churches, and small nonprofits, come together to plan for hurricanes and manage the following crises. Seeing this collaboration firsthand was eye-opening and reinforced how well-prepared the county and its partners are for natural disasters.
We then had the chance to experience high-level government in Washington, DC, during the leadership summit organized by Bank of America and hosted by the Close Up Foundation. However, what stood out to me throughout the summer was how much impact a single individual can make by dedicating just a few hours each month to volunteering, whether at the Harrelson Center or one of its partner organizations. The Harrelson Center's impact on the community is immense, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to work there for seven weeks this summer.
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