Parkway UCC is involved with the following organizations:

CHANGE  Communities Helping All Neighbors Gain Empowerment
    CHANGE is made up of faith-based organizations, neighborhood groups and other interested groups.
    CHANGE is one of the 57 affiliates of the oldest and largest community organizing networks in the United States, the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF).  
    CHANGE is committed to building a stronger community by developing relationships across racial, ethnic, economic, political, social, and religious lines.
    CHANGE is not a movement, a protest group, a political action committee or a service organization. We do not run programs, endorse candidates or take government money. But what we do is to cultivate the skill of our local leaders by identifying shared concerns and needs so that we may act together for the common good.
    For more information, visit CHANGE

CHANGE UPDATE
    CHANGE (Communities Helping All Neighbors Gain Empowerment) has much work/action in progress now. Planning meetings, relationship building meetings, and community organizing training meetings are scheduled for the winter months. New congregations and organizations were voted into CHANGE as well as new strategy team members at the Metro Council potluck meeting January 21 at Shiloh Baptist Church.  Approximately 80 members and visitors attended.  Ann McLain and Nancy Vargas represented Parkway.
    The Health and Wellness Action Team members have been researching and meeting with agencies in Forsyth County to establish VOAD (Voluntary Organization Active in Disasters) or COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disasters). The Health and Wellness Team hosted a meeting at Parkway of voluntary agencies to discuss the role of each agency in disasters.  Some of the agencies that attended were the American Red Cross, United Way, Salvation Army, Crisis Control, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, Sunnyside Ministries, ESR, Urban League, Senior Services, SORT, Mental Health Association, Catholic Social Services and NC VOAD President.
    CHANGE member congregations/organizations will be asked to be involved in providing “people power” and a designated contact person for VOAD.  The Alder’s Point fire in July of 2009 was a reminder of how quickly Forsyth county citizens became victims of a fire (disaster) and showed the need for community coordination to respond effectively to needs of victims. The next Health and Wellness meeting is scheduled for February 9 at Green Street Methodist Church at 6:00 p.m.  
    We heard at the Metro Council Meeting about the history of CHANGE’s involvement in education in Forsyth County starting with the 2004 school audits, 2005 school bond vote, monitoring the bonds, and the 2009 legislative vote for a Forsyth county nonpartisan school board.  The Education Team will be selecting areas this next year on which to focus energy and work.

   The scheduled March 11 Metro Council meeting will be a voting meeting on the Education Action Team’s plan presented on February 25.  This will be a potluck meal.  The place for this meeting will be forthcoming.  Please check your calendar and plan to attend.   Contact Ann McLain or Nancy Vargas if you are able to participate.

Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County HABITAT FOR HUMANITY COLLEGIATE LUNCHES – The dates available to provide lunch for college students working at Habitat Forsyth County during Spring Break are as follows: Friday, March 12 – Gettysburg College & Virginia Tech – 30 lunches; Thursday, March 25 and Friday, March 26 – Cornell University & Hamilton College – 30 lunches. Please contact Martha Ruskai if you are interested in helping with these lunches.