We welcome you to Charlotte, N.C.
On behalf of our entire team at Foundation For The Carolinas, we are thrilled that the Council on Foundations 2010 Fall Conference for Community Foundations is coming to Charlotte this September. We welcome community foundations from across the country to the “Queen City,” a city that has been in a significant growth mode for the past two decades and yet also mirrors many of challenges facing cities everywhere.
We believe Charlotte can offer a terrific learning platform for so many aspects of where community foundations can have impact. We are particularly excited about the site sessions: They alone offer tremendous opportunity to gain fresh insights—from viewing a dynamic and exciting new cultural campus, the result of a public/private partnership to visiting our premier children’s education facility, encompassing both a children’s theater and a children’s library to exploring innovations in human services and the power of collaboration and partnership. Finally, we believe there will be paths to learn from Charlotte as a city in transition. We are a real “New South” city, with significant changes in terms of industry, community dynamics, and opportunities for growth.
As a New York City transplant, it has been exciting for me personally to be a part of the energy and “can-do” attitude that pervade the city, even with recent setbacks due to changes in the banking industry that is so entrenched here. We boast a strong set of subject matter experts in diverse fields, very engaged public and private sector leaders, and a community foundation with more than 50 years of experience inspiring philanthropy and creating community in our region.
It’s going to be a great place to visit. The sheer walkability from the hotel to the meeting sites to the cultural complex and sports and entertainment venues is unparalleled nationally in such a small area. And this is enhanced by an explosion of diverse, interesting, and pure “fun” restaurants in the downtown and nearby areas. The recent addition of light rail—the “LYNX Blue Line”—connects business people, residents, and tourists alike to revitalized parts of the city, and it awaits riders from our community foundation network!
Charlotte is a city proud of its heritage but as embracing of new people as any city I have come across. It’s very welcoming. It works hard to build consensus in making strategic decisions. 
Leaders are forward thinking, even as we address significant economic challenges. Certainly, the outlook appears much better than it did a year ago, but the lines for human services remain long. We are dealing with issues of growth and are combating this on multiple levels. We are still small enough to have built connections within the ranks of leadership but are working hard and quickly to ensure better levels of inclusion and equity.
Fall tends to be beautiful time of year. Our city can be seen in 12 blocks that contain a full complement of arts, culture, history, sports, and entertainment venues that are very exciting. And you are a quick hop to a golf course and our signature white water rafting venue, and just a short walk to the brand-new NASCAR Hall of Fame museum, where we will have the opening reception. Charlotte looks forward to welcoming you!
- Laura Meyer, executive vice president, Foundation For The Carolinas, Charlotte, N.C.
