March 2020 – Mebane Charitable Foundation

Davie County COVID-19 Response Fund to Support Non-Profits on the Front Lines

Nate Hampton (Junior at Davie High) picking up food from Second Harvest Food bank — Nate Hampton (Junior at Davie High) picking up food from Second Harvest Food Bank

Ten days ago, Davie High Hunger Fighters served students at the high school. Now the group is packing food boxes for almost 700 children and their families in Davie County Schools on a weekly basis.

During a crisis, non-profit organizations like DHHF are on the front lines and expected to do much more, typically with fewer resources. The coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a profound effect on our community. These organizations need our help and support to be able to serve our children, families, and the community in these extraordinary times.

In response, the Davie Community Foundation and the Mebane Charitable Foundation have each contributed $50,000 to establish the Davie County COVID-19 Response Fund with $100,000 to support local non-profit organizations and agencies that are meeting the immediate needs created by the coronavirus.

“We have no idea what all the needs are right now, or what they might look like a week, a month, three months or a year from now, but this fund is being set up with one main goal, and that is to be there for our community and non-profits, as new needs arise in the coming days and months,” said Larry Colbourne, president of the Mebane Foundation.

Davie County non-profit organizations and agencies providing a “safety net” for families during this difficult economic situation may submit a short application for grants of up to $5,000. The application can be found on the Davie Community Foundation’s website under the grants tab. These funds may be used for organizational capacity or direct services to/for the children and families they serve.

The Davie Community Foundation will administer the fund and oversee the application process. A community committee of representatives from both foundations, Davie County Schools, and the non-profit sector will make grant decisions to ensure a quick response.

There are many organizations that will soon be serving more members of our community as K-12 schools remain closed, local businesses close, and we all work to avoid groups of ten or more.

Lori Smith, Jimmie Welch (EC Teacher at Davie High) Nate Hampton at Second Harvest Food Bank

Other community organizations currently serving on the front lines include:

Just Hope which has stepped up to deliver the meals the school system is preparing to more than 27 children who have no way to pick them up. The round trip takes more than 4 hours each day as they travel all around the county and they fully expect those numbers to increase. Their office and thrift store are currently closed which means their donations and funding are on hold.

A Storehouse for Jesus which is offering curbside pickup for client prescription refills. They also have drive around service to pick up food bags based upon family size. Current clients are tracked through their ID#. Approximately 20 new clients were added during the first week of the schools closing as other food pantries were depleted. They expect this number to continue to rise. All other ministries have been temporarily discontinued.

Family Promise of Davie County which has been told to “shelter in place” with the families they are serving. Because of the limited space in the Day Center home and their inability to use their church partners, two families are staying in a local motel at the expense of Family Promise.

The need is great and growing! All aspects of our community will be impacted, from young children to seniors, before we see significant improvement.

“We know that $100,000 will not be enough, so we are looking for other partners to join with us,” said Jane Simpson, president & CEO of the Davie Community Foundation. “We all need to give where we live! Please consider a gift of any size as we work together to be as our Chamber of Commerce puts it, “Davie Strong”!”

How You Can Give

Credit Card: Give online HERE

Check: Payable to Davie Community Foundation should be mailed to the Foundation at PO Box 546, Mocksville, NC 27028 & marked COVID-19 in the memo section

DCF donor-advised fundholders: Request a grant through the DCF website using your pin # or reach out to Melissa O’Connor at the Foundation Office; moconnor@daviefoundation.org

Every dollar contributed goes to support the community! No administrative fees will be applied.

Taylor Smith (8th grade Ellis) Kadence Boggard (8th grade North Davie)

During the spring of 2019, the Mebane Foundation began piloting a unique tutoring program that utilizes a retired teacher to provide the Hill Reading Achievement Program (HillRAP) to students who don’t receive the powerful literacy intervention during the school day.

Luwonna Oakes, Davie HillRAP teacher; Honor Draughn, a third-grade student at Mocksville Elementary School; Petra Murphy, a third-grade student at Mocksville Elementary School; Amelia Battle, a third-grade student at Mocksville Elementary School; Brynlee Logan, a third-grade student at Pinebrook Elementary School

“Our number one goal is to help children succeed in reading,” said Larry Colbourne, president of the Mebane Foundation. “Secondly, we are trying to assist the Hill Center by testing a tutoring model that makes the Hill methodology accessible to a lot more families and students.”

Note: This article by Mike Barnhardt was originally published in the Davie County Enterprise-Record and is republished here with permission.

We’re all different, but not different.

Even as a fourth-grader at Mocksville Elementary, Honor Draughn knows that. And she knows that the message would be great for her peers.

Luwonna Oakes, a tutor at the Mebane Foundation in Mocksville, helped children last spring to write, edit and publish their own books.

“All of the students did a superb job on their books and they were each special,” she said. “I had them decide on a targeted audience they were writing for – their author’s purpose.

A Message With An Impact

Honor Draughn wrote an endearing book about showing kindness to those who are ‘Different, but not Different,’ the title of her book.”

She donated a book to each elementary school guidance counselor in Davie County. And according to at least one of those counselors, the book is working.

“Honor is a young child making a difference in Davie Schools, impacting peers with a book on such a needed topic is so special,” Oakes said.

The book, Honor said, is dedicated to everybody who may feel different.

“Do you know some people are different, but not different? Some people do not get it, but it’s true. People think that some children are different, but inside they are not so different.

Honor Draughn author of Different but not Different a book making a difference for students in Davie County schools

“Take the time to get to know them,” she wrote. “Some people that seem different have been through a lot. Difficult things have happened to some children and other people make fun of them and judge them from the outside because of the way they act.”

The children, she wrote, may have lost a parent. Some parents who make bad choices have children who are confused, upset or angry.

Don’t Judge

“Some people do not give these children a chance to prove what is on the inside, behind the way they act.”

Some of the children may be less fortunate. She urges her peers not to brag about expensive toys or lavish vacations. “I do not want to make them feel like they don’t get to do fun things in life.

“If you see someone that is being judged or if you are being judged, remember, I am unique for who I am. This makes me who I am. You do not have to change to fit in. I want you to remember this, you are you, you are who you are, and do not let anybody stand in your way of you being you.”

She urges her peers to be kind to one another, “even if someone is mean to you.”

Tell an Adult

If hit or kicked, tell an adult. “This is not being a tattletale, but dealing with a problem in the right way.

“Be a good friend. Do not judge people by the way they act. You can be a good influence and be there for others.”

Helping Others Helps Us Too

Helping a child with a problem can help you and the child, she said.

“We all are different. No one is perfect,” she wrote, encouraging peers to look for ways people are like you, not different.

“I want you to remember this. Everybody is different. We all are really different and that’s what makes us unique. It makes me be me and you be you.”

Community Support and Spirit Are Alive and Well