KNOWMORE!

Trevor Melito is Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Sandee Road Ventures (SRV), as well as the next guest of our KnowMore Podcast series! SRV aims to offer optimal investment opportunities beyond the traditional focus of value investing, which is why it targets mission-focused investments throughout the Carolinas. Take a listen today and hear why this organization is committed to empowering investors to improve the world around them while delivering positive returns. Learn more about Sandee Road Ventures at https://www.srventures.us/. 

It’s the start of Season 2 and we have a great guest to kick us off, Brian Li! Brian has been at Providence Day School for 20 years and has taught math as well as personal finance. His passion for instilling

the importance of personal finance to the coming generations has led him to become a leader nationally in this effort, including holding financial literacy workshops for teachers all around the nation. During this episode, you will understand very quickly

that Brian has limitless, unrestrained excitement for his work – one of the many reasons Common Wealth Charlotte is excited to welcome him as a new Board of Directors member! Get to know more about Brian Li at

https://www.blifinancecoach.com/. 

It’s the final episode of season 1, and we saved a very special guest for this one! April Whitlock leads LendingTree’s efforts in identifying, vetting, and funding nonprofits of all sizes in the arts, housing, recovery, financial literacy, and other key areas in Charlotte’s quest for greater economic mobility.

As this episode’s guest, she is here to talk more about trust-based philanthropy and how she utilizes her skills as “an intentional connector and disruptive philanthropist.” You can learn more about LendingTree Foundation here: https://www.lendingtreefoundation.org/. 

ASPIRE Community Capital provides current and future business owners with the critical resources they need to start a business and succeed at it - through training, coaching programs, and access to financial resources. Manuel Campbell is

ASPIRE’s founder, and our special guest for this episode. He is here to talk more about the challenges of entrepreneurship and why opportunities for self-sufficiency, as well as financial independence, are critical for success. You can learn more about ASPIRE

Community Capital here: https://aspirecommunitycapital.org/. 

Charlotte Rescue Mission (CRM) is one of Charlotte’s longest-running faith-based organizations - transforming lives since 1938! The organization envisions a world free of addictions by “serving those at the intersection of homelessness and addiction so they can achieve their God-given potential.” Trina Fullard is our guest for this episode, and we couldn’t be more thrilled! She began at CRM in 2019, assuming various roles until her transition this spring as incoming President and CEO.

To learn more about how to get involved with CRM, visit: https://charlotterescuemission.org/get-involved/. 

This episode’s special guest is a real treat! Brought in by Foundation For The Carolinas, Federico Rios is now Senior Vice President of the Robinson Center for Civic Leadership - after serving as the City of Charlotte’s Assistant Director (Office of Equity, Mobility, and Immigration Integration) and as Program Director for Communities In Schools. So tune in and listen to Federico talk about the journey that led him to a role that engages community-minded individuals in order to address Charlotte’s challenges and capitalize on our most impactful opportunities. To learn more about this flagship program head to: https://www.fftc.org/our_civic_leadership. 

Families are the center point of everything that happens at Freedom Communities. This organization believes that in order to transform a community, it must start with the families that live there. This especially includes support for single parents through the Moms Moving Forward program. Hannah Beavers, Executive Director of Freedom Communities, is our guest for this episode and is here to speak more about how this nonprofit serves the Freedom Drive Corridor by helping families build the skills, mindset and support network to increase upward mobility and sustain economic stability.

Learn more at freedomcommunities.com and start getting involved by emailing [email protected] today. 

Men Tchaas Ari is President and CEO of Communities In Schools of Greater Charlotte. Over 12 million children in the United States, under age 18 live in poverty. In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, approximately 14% of children (30,000 – 41,000) live in poverty and more than half of CMS schools (102 of 184) are identified as Title I, which means the majority of students live near or below the poverty line. Men Tchaas has worked in and around economically-vulnerable families for more than 20 years   and understands the challenges faced by people at all levels of economic distress. You’re going to learn a lot from this episode, including what it’s like to be a parent of a child in school, and be at or below poverty level. For more information visit www.cischarlotte.org/

The Center for Community Transitions assists those who have been justice-involved to re-enter and re-establish themselves as vibrant and contributing members of the community. This organization strengthens our community by helping people with criminal records and their families find a healthier and more productive way of living. Its work provides employment and transition services; supports alternatives to incarceration; and restores and strengthens family bonds. Our guest for this episode is the Executive Director, Patrice Funderberg, who will elaborate more on the financial challenges faced by returning citizens. For more information visit centerforcommunitytransitions.org/. 

Charlotte Community Health Clinic (CCHC) offers high-quality medical, dental, and behavioral health services for kids and adults. It works towards a healthy community where all individuals, regardless of their ability to pay, have access to comprehensive health care. CCHC is led by Carolyn Allison, who is this episode’s guest here to talk more about the five social determinants of health, among other topics, and how most people don’t know that Financial Stability is one of those social determinants. For more information visit charlottecommunityhealth.org/en/.