Dogwood Health Trust awarded WNC Communities a three year grant to build the capacity of our 65+ member communities to address the Social Determinants of Health. Based on our surveys, many of our community centers across Western North Carolina need basic organizational support to continue to run their programs effectively.  Dogwood Health Trust's support has enabled us to respond to these communities' specific needs by providing targeted workshops on topics such as Volunteer Recruitment and Retention, and Transforming Board Practices through good management, financial stewardship, legal compliance, improved communication, and more.  We foster opportunities for community leaders to connect and share best practices on everything from fundraising and renting their facilities to creating youth educational programs and food relief programs at our monthly Coffee Hours.  Our intention is to build a fabric of mutual support among our members to nurture a stronger, more resilient WNC region where “we are in this together.”  

Dogwood Health Trust's funding has given us the opportunity to also help communities that are already running well to get to their next level of sophistication through a Strategic Planning Pilot Project.  The Pilot is intended to help us discover the best way to support communities in planning ahead for the future so that they can best position themselves to handle organizational, community, and regional opportunities and challenges.

NC County Extension.  

Extension Agents in many of our WNC counties convene member communities to assist them in identifying and advocating for their needs.  Our NC County Extension offices often provide free space for our meetings.

Outward Bound School. 

Provides free tuition to their leadership programs for up to 3 youths each year that are winners in the Youth Leadership category of the WNC Honors Awards. Outward Bound NC is also a scholarship partner with the George H.V. Cecil Journey Scholarship program.