Maria Hinojosa Addresses More Than 900

Award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa was the featured speaker at the 14th Annual Power of the Purse® held on May 22 at the Crowne Plaza resort in Asheville. Her address to the audience of over 900 people documented her journey from Mexico City to Chicago to New York City’s Barnard College to becoming the first Latina correspondent for NPR, CNN and PBS. A highlight of the afternoon was the announcement of a $450,000 Women for Women Collaborative High Impact Grant to The Buncombe Partners in Prevention.

Asheville Art Museum Receives Large Grant

The Asheville Art Museum recently was awarded a $25,000 Ribbon of Hope grant from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation in support of its Connections program, a new arts-based program serving adults with mild to moderate memory loss and their care partners. Once the Asheville Art Museum reopens its renovated facility in early 2019, Connections will take place monthly with specially trained Museum staff and volunteers leading groups of adults living with any form of dementia or other memory loss, and their care partners, in a guided experience in the galleries. 

Asheville City Schools 2019 District Teacher of the Year

Ida B. Jones Elementary kindergarten teacher Mrs. Jessica Jackson is Asheville City Schools 2019 District Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Jackson has been a teacher for 13 years and the 2017-18 school year marked her sixth year at Ira B. Jones

CFWNC’s Pigeon River Fund Awards $217,010 in Water Quality Grants

The Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) recently awarded $217,010 to environmental groups working to improve surface water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitats, expand public use and access to waterways and increase water quality awareness in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties.  Since 1996, the Pigeon River Fund has distributed nearly $7 million in grants. Some of the grant recipients include Haywood Waterways Association, Inc., the Town of Black Mountain, RiverLink, North Carolina Arboretum Society, Asheville GreenWorks and the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.