Hey y'all,

This week's newsletter is chock-full of the good stuff, so I won't hold you up! I will, however, point you toward our job board, which is particularly well-stocked today, 👨🏽‍💼 as well as our news blurb on UNCA's voting efforts in 2020, which makes me feel optimistic about the enthusiasm of young voters.

Till next week,

• Good News, Bad News 😟  Industry forecaster Adam Sacks, founder and president of Tourism Economics, and other thought leaders recently provided data, insights, and ideas to the Buncombe County TDA about the travel sector and its impact on our economy. According to his presentation, leisure and hospitality employment in Asheville has increased 36% since 2010, compared to the overall employment picture of just a 20% gain—but 1 in 4 of these jobs was lost to the pandemic. 52% of all jobs lost in Asheville during COVID were in the leisure and hospitality sector. Watch the full presentation here. 
• Grants Made Easy  💰  In an effort to make grants more readily accessible and to streamline the grantmaking process, Dogwood Health Trust has launched an online grant application portal for orgs serving all or part of the 18 WNC counties and the Qualla Boundary. Dogwood is interested in projects that address the organization’s four strategic priorities: housing, education, economic opportunity, and health & wellness. The new grantmaking process focuses on learning more about potential applicants' ideas or projects before requiring a detailed grant proposal. 
• Happy Mail  💌  Mother Earth Food recently announced home delivery of Asheville craft beers, meads, and hard ciders to NC customers of legal drinking age. The company has partnered with eight local breweries to launch an initial lineup of over 20 alcohol products available for delivery, including brews from Burial Brewing, Fonta Flora, and Wehrloom.
• Voter Rights Done Right 🗳 UNCA has been designated a Voter Friendly Campus 2021-22 for the university’s work in registering, educating, and turning out student voters in 2020. Their work included the creation of a new website at vote.unca.edu that offered comprehensive information about registering, sample ballots, ways to vote both on- and off-campus, and fact-checking; informational tables on National Voter Registration Day; an early voting site; and more. Learn more.

JOBS

• 3 Mountains 🧋 is looking for an Executive Assistant/Administrative Manager.
• NC Counts Coalition is looking for a 😷 Regional Health Equity Operations Manager.
• Thrive is looking for an Operations Director and a Housing Case Manager. 🏠

• The Still Place is looking for a Program Director.

• The Campaign for Southern Equality 🏳️‍🌈 is looking for a Digital Communications Consultant.
• Quility Insurance is looking for a Client Services Coordinator.
• Moog Music 🎹 is looking for a Software Engineer. 
• Asheville Playgrounds 👦🏻 is looking for a Playground Project Manager.
• CooperRiis is looking for a Residential Operations Director. 
• Burial Beer Co. 🍻 is looking for a Director of Retail. 
• Pardee UNC Health Care is accepting applications for the 2021 Junior Volunteer Summer Program through Wed., April 21. 🩺

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Town of Woodfin has awarded local landscaping design firm Equinox Environmental the design contractor the Whitewater Wave and the Riverside Park expansion, two much-anticipated components of the Woodfin Greenway & Blueway project. 🌳

• The Asheville City Council has voted to name the new section of Greenway in the RAD the Wilma Dykeman Greenway in honor of the late environmentalist, author, and historian. Learn more.
• Healthcare.gov is open through Aug. 15 because of an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Special Enrollment Period, and thanks to new federal subsidies from the American Rescue Plan, monthly premiums for many will be reduced or even eliminated. 💊
• Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack 🍗 will offer a 10% discount to all healthcare workers during the month of April; just show your ID! 
• Red Tree Builders recently announced they purchased the condemned Kim's Oriental Food building on Merrimon Ave. with plans to renovate the location into their future office. 🔨 They'll document the process on their YouTube channel. 
• The newest addition to the Asheville Outlets is Merc 828, a fashion, accessories, and cosmetics boutique featuring a curated collection of pieces from local vendors. 👚
• Mountain BizWorks recently unveiled the 9 WNC companies selected for the 10th cohort of the ScaleUp program, which include Sow True Seed, Asheville Glamping, and AS Appliance Repair. 🌱 Learn more.
• Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy (TJCA), a free public charter school located in Rutherford County, recently opened its new $18 million high school facility. 📚 TJCA is consistently ranked in the top 1% of public schools in the nation.

🎨 Metamophosis | Beauford Delaney’s Metamorphosis into Freedom, which opens April 2 at the Asheville Art Museum, examines the evolution of modern painter Beauford Delaney within the context of his 38-year friendship with writer James Baldwin.

🩸 Blood Connection | YPA members will have the opportunity to learn about the org's partner for the month, Blood Connection, via Zoom on April 7 at 5:30 p.m. 

🌷 Tulip Season | Carolina Flowers will return to the AB-Tech Farmers Market this Saturday, April 3—and they'll have tulips! You can also shop them online.

🍳  Issues & Eggs | On April 7 at 8 a.m. at Laurel Ridge Country Club, Haywood County's Issues & Eggs will host Bryant Morehead, who will speak about the current state of affairs of government at the local level.

📽 Back to the Movies | The Grail Moviehouse is reopening this weekend at their new location at 17 Foundy Street in the RAD with showings of the Oscar Nominated Short films.

🧑‍🎨 New Show | Chromesthetic Geometrics, featuring the bold and illusory paintings of artist Angela Johal, opens at Bender Gallery tomorrow.