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Tickets now on sale for the Charlotte Chamber's Young Professional Awards

Tickets now on sale for the Charlotte Chamber's Young Professional Awards

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Tickets are now available for the inaugural Charlotte Chamber Young Professionals Awards (the YPs), an event that seeks to honor individuals between the ages of 21 and 39 for their exemplary contributions to business, leadership and community service.  Fifteen finalists now remain (from a field of 40+ nominees).  One winner will be named in each category; a fifth finalist will be selected as "Young Professional of the Year". 

Event Details
Date:  Thursday, February 7th
Hours:  6pm to 9pm
Tickets:  $30
Venue:  Extravaganza Depot
Address:  1610 N. Tryon St., Charlotte

Need more information?  Please click here or call 704.378.1351 or 704.378.1366.

Food Lion announces "Fresh from the Field"

Food Lion announces "Fresh from the Field"

SALISBURY - Salisbury based Food Lion has launched a new initiative in 581 stores focused on improved quality, enhanced freshness and expanded variety of produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables also now come with a double-your-money-back guarantee, and customers will soon find helpful tips in-store for keeping produce fresher longer at home.

To enhance freshness and quality, the company has transformed its fresh produce processes, from purchasing the best products to enhancing warehouse storage and transportation, and, finally, careful handling at our stores. Examples of improved produce handling practices include temperature adjustments and reduced time at distribution centers.  Warehouse, transportation and produce associates at stores have also undergone extensive training to support the company’s new produce initiative. 

AAA Carolinas hosts annual Great Fall Battery Roundup

AAA Carolinas hosts annual Great Fall Battery Roundup

AAA Carolinas will host its annual Great Fall Battery Roundup, a used battery collection and recycling program, as part of Car Care Month in October. It is available to the general public, as well as AAA members.

North Carolina motorists can receive $5 for every auto or marine battery they bring in to any one of 24 AAA Car Care Centers, or 34 Approved Auto Repair shops from October 16 through the 31.

“Improperly disposed batteries do serious harm to our environment,” said David E. Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas.  “This program is a win-win for everyone including motorists, AAA, battery recycle centers and the environment at large.”

AAA encourages residents to help fight stream and ground pollution and raise awareness by recycling batteries at one of 58 convenient North Carolina locations.

VA announces local grants for homeless veterans

VA announces local grants for homeless veterans

SALISBURY - From the Department of Veterans Affairs: Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced  the award of approximately $1.2 million in grant money to Community Link Programs of Traveler Aid Society of Central Carolinas, Inc. one of 38 projects around the country that will provide temporary housing to formerly homeless Veterans with the goal they will retain the residence as their own.

“As we drive toward our goal to end homelessness among Veterans in 2015, VA continues to find innovative ways to permanently house Veterans who were formerly homeless,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

The grant to Community Link Programs of Traveler Aid Society of Central Carolinas, Inc. will be used to provide a daily average of 25 beds for homeless Veterans to promote increased housing stabilization.  Housing will be provided at scattered site apartments in the Charlotte, N.C., Metropolitan Area. 

Belk donates 3,300 uniforms to local students

Charlotte-based Belk, Inc. partnered with United Way of Central Carolinas for its “GET COOL 4 SCHOOL” campaign. 

Belk will donate more than 3,300 new school uniforms to students in need in three counties – Cabarrus, Mecklenburg and Union.

Events will be held in all three counties.

The partnership, which began last year in five schools in Mecklenburg County, has become a multi-year initiative.

This year’s higher-profile push is addressing the needs in several of United Way’s five-county footprint and has expanded the contribution from 2,000 uniforms last year to more than 3,300 this year. The total retail value of the donated uniforms is $175,000.

Uniform announcement events will be held in the following locations:

  • Cabarrus County/Kannapolis City - Donation of 825 Uniforms

                Tuesday, Aug.

CRVA Launches DNC Room-Finding Tools

It’s not too late to secure a room for the 2012 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, N.C., and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) is launching tools to help visitors easily locate the area hotels with availability.

As is customary for large conventions, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) held large blocks of rooms in the area to accommodate delegates and guests. In accordance with the contract, the DNCC released unused rooms to hotels Monday, Aug. 13, giving visitors new opportunities to find rooms at previously sold-out hotels. 

“We are pleased to see a low attrition rate from the DNC room block,” said Tom Murray, CEO of the CRVA. “We helped them secure 15,000 rooms in the market, and they were able to fill 93% of those rooms before the release date.

Drink for a cause

Drink for a cause

The Barman’s Fund is a group of bartenders and servers working to raise money for a cause. Each participant chooses one shift each month and designates that night to donate 100% of their tips.

At the end of the month, the group pools the money and goes shopping. They aren’t shopping for themselves though. They go shopping to buy needed items for nonprofits.

The Barman's Fund started with Brian Floyd in New York in April 2011. Holly Williams carried the idea from New York to New Orleans. That’s where WBTV Sports Reporter Sammi Jo Francis learned about the fund. She was visiting family in New Orleans and wanted to bring the idea back to Charlotte.

The Charlotte chapter of The Barman's Fund officially kicked off in July, with Sammi Jo chairing the group. Four bartenders and one server from three bars joined on, and in their first month, the group raised almost $3,000.