Interact Studio Interact Studio

Human Touch - Community Voice Award - Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Ledger

Tina Postel - Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays

Our friend Matt Olin of Charlotte is Creative is joining us to talk with April Whitlock, the Executive Director of the LendingTree Foundation, about the LendaHand Alliance Cohort.

LendingTree has just launched this signature philanthropy program, a three-year program for 10 Charlotte-based nonprofits designed to maximize community impact through trust-based philanthropy and meaningful relationships.

The first LendaHand Alliance cohort includes:

ArtPop Street Gallery
Charlotte Is Creative
Charlotte Rescue Mission
Common Wealth Charlotte
Digi-Bridge
Do Greater Charlotte
Dottie Rose Foundation
Freedom Communities
The Relatives
West Side Community Land Trust

When Camp North End first opened its factories in 1924, innovation was at the core of everything. Over the decades, the space has been used to build Model-Ts for the Ford Motor Company, to support American soldiers in World War II, and to manufacture missiles during the Cold War. Now, nearly 100 years later, things look a little different at Camp North End but that spirit of innovation remains.

Over the past few years, Camp North End has blossomed into a hub for artists, chefs, and entrepreneurs to work, play, and continue to innovate their craft. Camp North End creates a welcoming space for creativity and community in Charlotte with shops, restaurants, murals, and events designed for all people.

When Varian Shrum, the Community Manager of Camp North End, joins us on the Human Touch, we will discuss the past, present, and future of Camp North End.

Since 2003, Tom Gabbard has been at the helm of Blumenthal Performing Arts as the organization’s President and CEO. During Gabbard’s tenure as CEO, the Blumenthal has become a Top 10 market for touring Broadway shows in North America. Currently, the Blumenthal is being visited by the Wicked Witch of the West as Broadway’s WICKED runs at Ovens Auditorium through October 3, 2021. The Blumenthal also played a major role in the production and management of Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit Charlotte, a one of kind art experience running at Camp North End through October 31. When he joined us on the Human Touch, he shared his thoughts on the current state and future of theatre, the creative culture of Charlotte, and what goes into hosting high-profile events such as WICKED and Immersive Van Gogh.

Jeff Dugdale is the Associate Athletic Director and Aquatics Director for Queens University of Charlotte. In his 12 years coaching the men’s and women’s swimming programs at Queens, Jeff has been a part of 12 NCAA Championship titles — 6 for men’s and 6 for women’s — including this year’s 2021 championship.

In that same time, he has been a Seven-Time CSCAA Coach of the Year, 11-Time Bluegrass Mountain Conference Coach of the Year, and the 2019 Jimi Flowers Coach of the Year. And he coached four Queens athletes who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

But for Jeff, his role in the Queens athletic department is about more than training students to be the best athletes they can be, it’s also about teaching them how to be the best leaders possible — in and out of the pool.

When he joined us on the Human Touch, he shared his thoughts on coaching, leadership, and the role mental health plays in athletics.