Everybody likes to feel like a million bucks.

That’s how I felt recently after serving on two of our four Canopy Housing Foundation selection panels. One I participated in was to pick the recipient of the YES Award, and the other was to choose Habitat for Humanity grant recipients. What a great experience.

It was in no small part because of the leadership of Thomas Shoupe, our foundation chairperson. He set a thoughtful, well-organized table for our decision-making process, including impressive panelists. They asked good questions and were engaged throughout. I was honored to serve with them.

This is the second year of the YES Award, which stands for “Youth Excellence in Service.” It recognizes outstanding young people who are making our world better through their deeds and commitment.

Some people question whether this generation has the right mindset, but I will tell you that the applicants we reviewed were spectacular. It was so hard to pick a recipient that we had to vote multiple times. What a testament to these young people that any one of them could have received the award!

Congratulations to 16-year-old Alexa Nicole Suarez — who started a literacy program for young Latino students — on being our 2020 recipient!

With the Habitat Support Grants Program, we fielded requests from organizations in our Canopy MLS and Association service areas. I’m pleased to report that we were able to make grants to each Habitat applicant and gave away a collective total of $24,000.

Those dollars are helping pay for such basic housing repairs as fixing a roof, replacing windows and floors and re-affixing cabinets that were coming off a kitchen’s walls.

Our Habitat grants are being combined with grants from other funding groups to make the projects possible. While I wish we could defray the cost of entire projects, we are happy to be doing what we can, especially given fundraising limitations in the pandemic. I love that we are part of a community effort to assist these homeowners.

Our foundation’s fourth selection panel made grants to housing nonprofits in our Association’s service area. It’s our largest grants program in funding. Though I didn’t serve on that panel this year, I appreciate its hard work and thank all who did. We distributed $48,550 in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties and $14,200 in Haywood County. I’m proud of that.

All of these grants are about one thing: making a difference in our communities.

We’re doing it.

Quarterly newsletter published by Canopy Housing Foundation

September 2020canopy caresPresident’s Letter

CanopyHousingFoundation.org

Canopy Housing Foundation | 1120 Pearl Park Way, Suite 200 | Charlotte, NC 28204 704-940-3148 | foundation@carolinahome.com

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John KindbomPresident

Canopy Realtor® Association | Canopy MLS | Canopy Housing Foundation

On Sept. 8 and 9, the Canopy Housing Foundation held its virtual 2020 Community Awards Celebration, “Opening Hearts, Opening Doors, Creating Opportunity.”

The events celebrated the 2020 YES Award recipient and honored 31 grant recipients who are collectively receiving $86,750 — a record grant amount by the foundation. Each grant goes to a nonprofit organization addressing unmet housing needs.

Speaking at each event, Canopy Realtor® Association CEO Anne Marie DeCatsye explained the significance of the celebration’s name. “Opportunity is created when we open our hearts to collaboration and partnership, which opens doors for others,” she said.

The YES (Youth Excellence in Service) Award went to Alexa Nicole Suarez who, as a high school freshman, started the HILL project at Benton Heights Elementary School in Monroe. HILL stands for “Hispanic Initiative for Literacy and Learning.”

Since Alexa began HILL a little over a year ago, more than 40 Latino children have improved their reading levels through tutors she has recruited, including her own Spanish teacher. In honor of her outstanding initiative, the Canopy Housing Foundation is making a $500 donation to HILL, the nonprofit she chose to receive the donation.

Looking closer at the foundation’s 2020 grant program, here’s how the $86,750 breaks down: $48,550 to 18 organizations in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties, $14,200 to five organizations in Haywood County, and $24,000 to eight Habitat for Humanity chapters in the Charlotte region and in Haywood.

2020 marked the first year that Haywood County participated in the grants program. Its involvement became possible when the Haywood Realtor® Association merged with Canopy Realtor® Association on Jan. 1, 2020. With the merger, Haywood County now has its first standalone Community Grants Program, a goal that was a major incentive for Haywood Realtors® to seek the merger.

In Case You Missed It:Watch the Charlotte region celebration HERE. Watch the Haywood/Western region celebration HERE.

The events celebrated the 2020 YES Award recipient and honored 31 grant recipients who are collectively receiving $86,750 — a record grant amount by the foundation.

Lots to celebrate with record-amount of grants awarded

Alexa Nicole Suarez

Habitat for Humanity Support Grants Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity: Received 3,000 to purchase laminate wood flooring for a home that will be owned by a Congolese refugee family. Realtor® referral: Molly Zostant, Five Star Realty

Habitat for Humanity of Cabarrus County: Received 3,000 to buy cabinets for a home being renovated through the 2020 Collegiate Challenge and that will be owned by a woman and her 10-year-old son. Realtor® referral: Leigh Brown, One Community Real Estate

Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region: Received 3,000 for major kitchen repairs, repairs to a rotted floor and bringing electrical systems to code. These funds will enable a woman battling cancer to stay in her Double Oaks home. Realtor® referral: Lawrence Mahool, Helen Adams Realty

Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County: Received $3,000 to buy and install laminate flooring in a home to be built in Gaston County that will be owned by a single mother with four children. Realtor® referral: Wendy Eaves, Allen Tate Co.

Habitat for Humanity of Haywood County: Received $3,000 for materials to frame a new home in Waynesville that will be owned by couple who has moved five times in 11 years, often to unsafe areas, because of circumstances beyond their control. Realtor® referral: Tracey Magdeburg, A+ Appraising & Real Estate Consulting

Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln County: Received $3,000 to buy six kitchen cabinets, including countertops and five base cabinets, for new construction in Lincolnton that will become the home to a single mom and her three children. Realtor® referral: Haley Withers, Lake Norman Realty

Habitat for Humanity of Stanly County: Received 3,000 to purchase a ramp, handicap fixtures and roll-in bathroom showers for a home to be owned by a couple in which the man is a longtime janitor and his wife is legally blind. Realtor® referral: Amy Preslar, Century 21 Russ Hollins Realty

Union-Anson County Habitat for Humanity: Received $3,000 for eight windows and two doors for a new home in Monroe to help a family who lacked affordable housing. Realtor® referral: Russell Wing, RE/MAX Executive

Angels and Sparrows Soup Kitchen: Received $3,000 to provide rental assistance for five families at a cost of $600 per family. Realtor® referral: Mary Howard, eXp Realty

Beatties Ford Vocational Trade Center: Received $3,000 to fund rental assistance for six apprenticeship students at a cost of $500 per student. Realtor® referral: John Stroup, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Beds for Kids: Received $3,000 to purchase 20 beds for children sleeping on the floor at a cost of $150 per bed set. Realtor® referral: Cullen McNulty, McNulty Realty

Changed Choices: Received $3,000 to provide five one-month residences in the Ruth Snyder Home, which provides re-entry housing to women completing prison sentences. Realtor® referral: Caroline Grossman, Allen Tate Co.

Charlotte Family Housing: Received $3,000 to house families at hotels due to reduced shelter capacity because of COVID-19 distancing needs. Realtor® referral: Dan Cottingham Sr., Cottingham Chalk

Crisis Assistance Ministry: Received $3,000 for emergency financial assistance to families facing eviction or utility disconnection in Mecklenburg County. Realtor® referral: Joe Naccarato, Allen Tate Co.

Diakonos (Fifth Street Ministries): Received $3,000 for transportation and case-management services in the Heroes House program and to help veterans repair their lives as they move into permanent housing. Realtor® referral: Mary Palmes, Allen Tate Co.

Families Forward Charlotte: Received $3,000 to support families in the Family Success Program with housing assistance. Realtor® referral: Caroline Cox, Cottingham Chalk

Foundation for Girls: Received $3,000 to support six young teen mothers and their children with rental assistance of $500 each to secure rental homes. Realtor® referral: Gitanjali Mathur, Allen Tate Co.

Furnish for Good: Received $1,500 for moving expenses for 15 needy families at a cost of $100 per family. Realtor® referral: Lesley Faulkner, Lilac Realty

Greater Steps Scholars (formerly Charlotte Housing Authority Scholarship Fund): Received $1,500 to support mentor training, mentor and mentee activities and career-prep workshops for students. Realtor® referral: Brenda Hayden, Keller Williams

Home4Me: Received $2,050 to provide teens who will be aging out of foster care with a suitcase filled with essentials and a Bed-in-a Bag to assist them in avoiding homelessness. Realtor® referral: Antonio Worsham, Equity-USA

InReach: Received $3,000 to assist up to 12 individuals with special needs in their quest to maintain their housing. Realtor® referral: Mary Beth McIntyre, Belle Properties

Matthews HELP Center: Received $3,000 in housing/rental assistance for four families. Realtor® referral: Brooke Bryant, Bryant Realty Homes

Project One: Received $3,000 in rental assistance to three upperclassmen (juniors or seniors) who are living in off-campus housing and need help with housing stability. Realtor® referral: Moneen Allen, Black House Realty

Roof Above: Received $3,000 to purchase bus passes for individuals enrolled in the emergency shelter for men, to help them acquire and retain employment, earn income and have a conduit for housing access. Realtor® referral: Thais Marineli, Coldwell Banker Realty

The Relatives: Received $1,500 to aid in the purchase of new mattresses for young adults who leave homelessness this year. Realtor® referral: Carolyn Taylor, Dickens Mitchener

Thompson Child and Family Focus (A Child’s Place): Received $3,000 in rental assistance for six families served by A Child’s Place at a cost of $500 per family. Realtor® referral: Adam Sellars, Keller Williams

Community Grants by region

Mecklenburg + Iredell Counties

The EACH Initiative (Ending Area Child Homelessness): Received 3,000 to accelerate entry of homeless children and their parents into EACH, where a case manager and a People Who Care partner assist each family in transitioning to self-sustainability over two years. Realtor® referral: Amy Spivey, ERA Sunburst Realty

Haywood Pathways Center: Received $3,000 to provide one month’s rental relief for six families at an estimated cost of $500 per family, in collaboration with the Haywood County Health & Human Services Agency. Realtor® referral: Multiple members, RE/MAX Executive, Waynesville

Jacob’s Dream House: Received $3,000 to purchase two refrigerators, two electric stoves and two $100 grocery gift cards at a cost of $1,500 each for two families. Realtor® referral: Mary Leatherwood, ERA Sunburst Realty

Mountain Projects: Received $2,200 to purchase portable power tools to aid in the building of homes in two affordable housing developments. Realtor® referral: Marlyn Dickinson, RE/MAX Executive

The Arc of Haywood County Inc.: $3,000 to hire a consultant to develop and implement a plan to address barriers to affordable and accessible housing for individuals with an intellectual and/or developmental disability. Realtor® referral: Mark Zaffrann, Beverly-Hanks & Associates, Realtors®

In keeping with the educational partnership that area Realtors® have forged with Haywood County Schools Foundation, two educational scholarships in the amount of $750 each were bestowed upon Tuscola High School graduate Joseph Smart and Pisgah High School graduate Walker Beasley. Joseph and Walker were both honors student-athletes who made commitments to community service.

Joseph SmartSmart had this to say about receiving his scholarship: “As a farming family with two other siblings, my parents

don’t have the means to send all of us to college.” However, despite his parents’ failing health, a fire that damaged the family’s property and his sister’s health issues he remains dedicated to getting an education. “My siblings and I all want to give back and to serve others the way we were served and supported.”

Walker BeasleyWalker had this to say about receiving his scholarship: “My goal is to attend a four-year university followed by dental school. It is my dream

to become the first doctor in my family – and to make those who have supported me proud.”

Helping fund the next generation of leaders

Haywood County

Timothy Brummett Foundation Committee member, Strides for Shelter volunteer and grants panelist

Why is this work important to you?

I grew up in a world where with knowledge comes responsibility — knowing there are people who need help.

How have you grown as a result of your foundation involvement?

I think being involved with esteemed professionals in this business who have a common goal of helping the community has always played a part of my growth through the foundation.

Any advice for fellow Realtors® about getting involved with the foundation?

Don’t be shy with your time. It really doesn’t take a lot of time to do a lot of good.

Bridget Phifer Foundation Committee member and past grants panelist

Why is this work important to you?

I wanted to affect things happening in my community. Since I moved here in 2014, Charlotte has changed tremendously. What I have seen is a lot of people displaced because of the growth. They are priced out of certain areas.

How have you grown as a result of your foundation involvement?

I’ve grown in awareness of home-buying assistance programs and things the foundation actually stands for. Many people miss out on these programs for lack of knowledge.

Any advice for fellow Realtors® about getting involved with the foundation?

We need to keep getting the word out among Realtors® about how the foundation helps people and to raise more money.

Abby Wilson Foundation Committee member and past grants panelist

Why is this work important to you?

Affordable housing and giving back to the community is part of my DNA. My mom is an advocate in the Latino community; it’s in our blood.

How have you grown as a result of your foundation involvement?

It’s rewarding. I love being part of something that helps the community and relates to my profession. It’s important to help families reach their homeownership goal and potentially change the legacy of their family.

Any advice for fellow Realtors® about getting involved with the foundation?

It’s much more than real estate. It’s great to know these people (fellow foundation leaders) who are so passionate about their community. As Realtors®, let’s be part of the change — of making Charlotte better and making housing more accessible.

See what three Canopy Housing Foundation volunteers say about why they value their work with the Canopy Housing Foundation, how they’ve benefited from it, and what they would tell Realtors® who are thinking about volunteering.

Why We Care.

Why We Care. Founders:Let’s Keep Growing the

While the solicitation to become one of the 100 Founding Members of the Pearl Society has concluded, you may contact Canopy Housing Foundation Executive Director Terri Marshall about becoming part of the society at terri.marshall@carolinahome.com.

When the Pearl Society launched in June 2019, it was a big step in the growth and evolution of the Canopy Housing Foundation.

“Proof of concept” is how Anthony Lindsey describes it.

“One pearl in a necklace of what we do,” Dan Cottingham says.

“Coming of age,” notes Tommy Lawing Jr.

These three longtime foundation supporters were among the first to give $1,000 or more as Founding Members of the Pearl Society, a group of donors dedicated to raising the visibility and impact of the foundation — which meets critical housing needs in Mecklenburg, Iredell and Haywood counties, areas served by the Canopy Realtor® Association.

These Founding Members of the Pearl Society also have helped nurture the overall foundation to what Lawing calls “a critical mass.”

“Each year our community grants program grows,” Lindsey says. “We were giving out only a small amount a decade ago.”

Today, the amount has grown by 46%. In 2020, the foundation recently awarded a collective $86,750 to 23 housing nonprofits through the Community Grants Program and eight regional Habitat chapters through the Habitat Support Grants Program. This year, the foundation also expanded the Community Grants Program into Haywood County.

“We have a solid charity,” Lawing says. “I’m proud to participate.”

With COVID-19, critical housing needs have escalated. “I’m hoping what the Pearl Society does is ignite people to be more deeply engaged, to be inspired to help,” Lindsey says.

“I would love to see the Pearl Society continue expanding, especially with our top producers,” Cottingham says. “I want to see the incredible things we can do when we give dollars out to the many different organizations working their fingers to the bone to help people negatively impacted by this virus.”

Overall, he adds, “I would like to see the Pearl Society be a fertile ground for expanding what we do as an industry.”

Lawing agrees. “It gives me pride that this community outreach is from a Realtor® organization. It checks two boxes for me, if you will, because it helps the community and is done by Realtors®.”

The Pearl Society is also about more than just raising money.

“It’s visionary and aspirational,” Lindsey says. “It’s the opening of the tent and inviting people to participate. It’s saying that while we have done a good bit of work we know there is a lot of work to be done.”

The Pearl Society launched in June 2019 with the aspiration that our new headquarters presented a unique opportunity for the Canopy Housing Foundation to create a legacy for our Realtors® and broaden their visibility and impact in the community. This legacy includes a commissioned piece of artwork in our lobby and the establishment of a giving society. Inspired artwork | Artist Shaun Cassidy’s piece is fluid and multi-tiered. It honors the rich history of our Realtors®, the local real estate industry and our new address overlooking the Pearl Street Park.

Read more about the Founding Members here.

Anthony Lindsey

Tommy Lawing Jr.

Dan Cottingham

Canopy Adopts Stream at Pearl Street Park Canopy Housing Foundation has adopted the stream in Pearl Street Park.

Once the renovated park reopens, the foundation will lead volunteers in periodic trash collection efforts to help keep the water clean.

Adopt-A-Stream, a longtime program of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, has been a catalyst for removing 30 tons of trash in local streams using volunteers, according to the storm water services’ website.

Located at the front door of the Canopy Realtor® Association headquarters, Pearl Street Park began as a city park dedicated to “Negro recreation,” according to newspaper articles at the time. The park is also the namesake of the Canopy Housing Foundation’s Pearl Society, launched in 2019 for donors who give $1,000 or more to the foundation and its affordable housing efforts.

In early spring of 1943, the city purchased approximately six acres for Pearl Street Park from Thompson Orphanage, located nearby at the time.

Once the park was built, it primarily served the city’s largest Black neighborhood, Brooklyn, and became home to football and baseball games of Second Ward High School, an all-Black school located at the site of today’s Metro School. The federal government razed the Brooklyn neighborhood in the 1960s as part of urban renewal.

Realtor® Anthony Lindsey values that the foundation’s Pearl Society name honors a park built for the Black community.

“For me, as a Black person, I respect and appreciate the foundation had the sensitivity to make that connection early on before any of the racial issues started happening this year,” says Lindsey, a founding member of the Pearl Society.

Become a Sponsor Contact Stacy Baum704-940-3147 | stacy.baum@carolinahome.com CanopyHousingFoundation.org/become-a-sponsor

October 31, 2020 Humanitarian Award Nomination deadline

December 3, 2020 Giving Tuesday 2020 Don’t forget your foundation! Donate HERE.

Upcoming Events

More information at CanopyHousingFoundation.org

ED BAESEL, Realtor® At-LargeBerkshire Hathaway

TANYA BROWN, Realtor® At-LargeBerkshire Hathaway

BRIAN CAGLE, Realtor® At-Large, Western RegionBeverly-Hanks & Associates, Realtors®

JUSTIN CKEZEPIS, Realtor® At-LargeSkadoosh Properties

DAVID DEAL, 2020 Canopy SecretaryAllen Tate Company

JENNIFER FRONTERA, Realtor® At-LargeWanda Smith & Associates

JOAN GOODE, Realtor® At-LargeDickens Mitchener & Associates

KIM GRAHAM, Community At-LargeFriendship Missionary Baptist Church

CINDI HASTINGS, 2020 Canopy TreasurerCottingham Chalk

BRENDA HAYDEN, 2020 Canopy Past PresidentKeller Williams University

ALMA JACOBS, Community At-LargeAtlantic Bay Mortgage

TIFFANY JOHANNES, Realtor® At-LargeRE/MAX Executive

RICK JUDSON, Community At-LargeEvergreen Group, LLC

DAVID KENNEDY, 2020 Canopy President-elect T.R. Lawing Realty, Inc.

JOHN KINDBOM, 2020 Canopy PresidentAllen Tate Company

JULIE PORTER, Community At-LargeCharlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership

THOMAS SHOUPE, 2020 Foundation ChairREMIS Properties

JOSH TUCKER, Realtor® At-LargeHM Properties

ANNE MARIE DECATSYEExecutive Committee, Ex-OfficioCanopy Realtor® Association

Kicks off Friday, Nov. 27 (Black Friday)

Concludes Friday, Dec. 11

All proceeds support critical housing needs in Mecklenburg, Haywood and Iredell Counties

Want to support the foundation? Donate here.

• Art, glass and pottery

• Children’s outdoor activities and toys

• Electronics

• Fitness activities

• Gift certificates for breweries, wine, meal

prep services, and grocery stores

• Home care services

• Home entertainment items

• Fine jewelry and high-end fashion accessories

• Outdoor/recreational activities and accessories

• Sports activities and/or memorabilia

Please consider donating items from the recommended

categories below to the auction.

For more information, contact Bryan Leitch at

704-940-3138 or bryan.leitch@carolinahome.com.

It’s time for the Canopy Housing Foundation’s annual tradition to

raise year-end funds! This year, in light of the community needs

enhanced by COVID-19 and our decreased ability to hold

fundraising events, the success of this event is critical. The

Canopy Housing Foundation will be conducting this event

virtually, beginning on Black Friday (November 27) and

concluding on December 11. The auction will be open to all

members of the public. All proceeds with be donated to critical

housing needs in Mecklenburg, Iredell and Haywood counties.

Our 2020 goal is to raise $25,000.

By donating items to the auction,

you can have a direct impact in

meeting our community’s needs.

Through the Canopy Housing

Foundation, the charitable arm of the

Canopy Realtor® Association,

Realtors® are creating housing

opportunities through advocacy,

education, funding and leadership.

Canopy Housing Foundation

Annual HolidayVirtual Auction

All items and appropriate paperwork are needed by November 13, 2020.

Nominate a local hero by Oct. 31 and help support a nonprofitCanopy Housing Foundation’s Humanitarian Award recognizes individuals, projects or groups that have made outstanding contributions in the community.

The recipient will receive an engraved crystal award and the opportunity to designate $5,000 to a 501(c)3 organization of the recipient’s choice. The donation will be awarded from the foundation to the nonprofit organization chosen by the recipient.

Get nomination forms HERE.

Foundation Board of Directors