Hi friends,

When folks ask why we don't include more restaurant and food content, I tell them it's because the scene is so big in Western North Carolina that it would require an entire magazine to do it justice. 🍲 The same concept applies to our nonprofit community: While we do dedicate our November issue to nonprofits across WNC, we could just as easily build an entire magazine around the incredible things they do for our community.

Looking for examples? Check out our coverage of new grants from CFWNC (for the Latinx and youth communities) and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership (supporting craft, music, natural heritage, Cherokee culture, and agricultural traditions) below. 

Till next week,

• Granting Help 💸  The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina recently approved grants totaling $541,300 and reaching 17 WNC counties to address needs exacerbated by COVID-19. The awards provide funding for basic needs in Latinx communities and youth mental health services across the region. Grants included $50,000 to Western North Carolina Workers Center to provide assistance to Latinx immigrant workers and $100,000 to Meridian Behavioral Health Services to provide mental health treatment to youth. Learn more. 
• Training on the Job 👩🏼‍🔧 Two local non-profit organizations have partnered with two local employers to provide an opportunity for those looking for careers in trades. Green Opportunities and the YMI Cultural Center’s Operation Gateway have joined forces with local solar installer SolFarm and TP Howard’s Plumbing to offer a three-week paid training program ($15/hour for three 40 hour weeks) designed to prepare members of marginalized communities to succeed in living-wage trades jobs. Learn more. 

JOBS

• Penland School of Craft 🧵 is looking for a Gallery Sales & Purchasing Coordinator, Gallery Digital Media Coordinator, Main Office Administrator, and Supply Store Manager.
• YMCA of WNC 🏋🏽‍♀️ is looking for a Branch Administrator.
• The City of Asheville is looking for a Director of Equity and Inclusion.  🤝

• Appalachian State University 🎓 is looking for a Child Development Teacher and an Associate Director of Campus Activities, Fraternity & Sorority Life. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Mercy Urgent Care will provide COVID-19 vaccinations at its South AVL location, 1833 Hendersonville Rd., beginning today. 💉 Learn more.

• Chow Chow is back for 2021, reimagined as a series of 30+ summer events happening between June and September with a mix of in-person signature events and corresponding virtual series of classes, demos, and workshops. Learn more, and check out the full list of events. 
• Meherwan Irani is featured in a new episode of My Home, NC, speaking to the inspiration of Asheville and the cultivation of cultural knowledge through cuisine. 🥘 Check out the video here, or watch it on PBSNC May 6. 
• The Bluffs Restaurant will reopen on May 27 with a new team managing operations. Heritage Dining and Events, LLC, brings 35 years of experience in the food service industry to the historical restaurant at milepost 241 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 🍔 Learn more. 
• Carolina Flowers will host workshops later this summer. 💐 Sign up now for workshops in flower arranging, starting your garden for 2022, and more.   
• UNCA signed the Carbon Commitment on March 30 with the goal of becoming carbon neutral in just under 30 years, joining only 10% of the colleges in the nation. ☀️ Learn more. 
• The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership has awarded 15 grants totaling $185,000 to fund projects across the mountains and foothills, supporting craft, music, natural heritage, Cherokee culture, and agricultural traditions. 🧶 Learn more. 
• The Cliffs has launched Wildwood at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, a new enclave of 13 homes offered through its Cliffs Builders program, which combines custom-build elements with built-for-sale simplicity. Learn more.
   

🥗 Outpace Hunger | MANNA's new fundraising campaign, Outpace Hunger, is live. Participants set an activity-based fundraising goal, track their progress, and encourage people to support their effort to raise money. 

🐷 New Tales | TheatreUNCA will stage two virtual performances of The 3 Pigs & The Red Line, an adaptation of the classic fable inspired by the history of redlining and urban renewal in Asheville's Black community, at 7 p.m. on Fri. April 16 and Sun. April 18.

🍷 Wine & Cider | Hendersonville’s Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend returns April 15-18 with nearly 60 events like tastings, tours, live music, and special wine releases.

🌳  Plant Sale | The Botanical Gardens at Asheville's Online Spring Plant Sale begins today.