Meredith at a community meeting in Wilson, NC


SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

Many of you know that two years ago Ellen became a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA). One can become a Fellow in a variety of classifications and her award was for Service to Society. Ellen absolutely cherishes excellent design but if it is not serving a higher purpose it takes away a bit of the luster. Our office has a long tradition of community service. We are so proud to highlight below the service projects that Meredith, Megan, and Pamela have taken on. 


Meredith Pittman
I started volunteering with Student Action With Farmworkers (SAF) as a member of the Fundraising Team almost a year ago. I had first learned about SAF when I attended one of their Farmworker Institutes and the power of the organization stuck with me. When I completed my licensure exams last January and sought some more meaningful volunteer work, SAF came to mind first. I'm a native North Carolinian who cares a lot about where my food comes from and, by extension, the conditions under which it is farmed and so SAF was the perfect group to get involved with.

SAF is a leadership development organization, working with college students from universities across the country and youth in NC to educate them about farmworker rights and how to advocate for farmworker justice through their leadership programs. SAF is also involved in farmworker issues at a policy level.  They advocate for migrant housing and pesticide reform and solidarity with farm labor organizing groups that have won contracts yielding higher wages, grievance procedures, and human rights on the job.

The most recent work I was involved in was just last week when I helped to plan a celebration of the current Executive Director's 25 years of working for and leading SAF. Through that 25 year campaign alone, SAF raised almost $10,000 to help continue the work for a more just agricultural system.

 
Screen printed t-shirt for National Farmworker Awareness Week

Megan Patnaik
This October marks my one-year anniversary serving as a town commissioner for the Town of Chapel Hill’s Community Design Commission. As a member on the board, I meet monthly with my fellow commissioners to review commercial design work proposed for the town. We analyze and advise projects from their initial conceptual design and then sign off on the final plans. We make recommendations to the city council and aid in their decision process in regard to individual developments and how they will add to the fabric of the town. We also work with the planning department, discussing possible modifications to our town design guidelines and town ordinances.
 
I am particularly excited about the design award subcommittee that we just formed and am looking forward to working through the details and lifting up thoughtful design in our community.
 
Serving as a town commissioner brings me joy as I serve my community using the knowledge and skills I have fostered throughout my design career , all the while learning more about the future of Chapel Hill. Here's an article on a recent Design Commission meeting.

 
Megan working with the team at Blackwood Farm Park
 

Pamela Osborne
I left Durham in my 20's and ran off to New York City with $700 to my name. Within 5 years, I opened my first of three successful restaurants. When I returned  to Durham upon approaching 40, I was dismayed to hear of friends' resistance to send their children to public schools. I had credited my Durham Public School education with providing me with the skill set to accomplish anything I set my mind to to. I have a nine year old son who is in fourth grade at Hillandale Elementary, a diverse public school with many families who are low income. I have been active in the PTA since my son started there, and am currently serving as PTA President.  Long gone are the bake sale moms of PTA past, and we are now a group of educated, passionate parents who are fighting to keep funding in our schools, and teachers supported in the many challenges they face every day. It brings me great joy, and sometimes frustration, to witness the lack of support that public education gets from our government, but it is worth every minute when I see how our children thrive when they see that their community cares about them.

If you would like to help out, you can do so without contributing any money! You can simply click here to link your Harris Teeter VIC card to a public school of your choice. Of course, I would appreciate any contribution towards Hillandale Elementary (code 2860), but you can choose any school you would like.

There is no obligation, but you can be active if you choose to do so. The member funds go towards ensuring that all school field trips are free for the students, so that everyone can participate. For some students, it's the only time they will visit a museum or nature trail. We also fund many school projects and events throughout the year. If you would like to learn more about the PTA, or join as a community member, you can visit our website.

If the idea of helping kids get the most out of their education excites you, you can join my father in volunteering to tutor reading (or Math or in Spanish). That's him below winning the Spark Igniter of the Year award. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

Images below from Ellen and Frank's trip to India
               

                   William Kentridge at the Kochi Biennale   

We wish all of you a wonderful fall!