RALEIGH, N.C., August 18, 2015 – Passage Home and J.D. Lewis Multi-Purpose Center have announced the next fundraising event for the Building A Stronger Raleigh Together campaign to break the cycle of poverty in Southeast Raleigh. The VIP Affair will be held September 3rd from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Wine & Design, located at 806 N. West Street.

The evening will include food from Greg and Samantha Hatem’s Empire Eats restaurants, silent and live auctions and music from Brad Corrigan of Dispatch. Mayor Nancy McFarlane, Congressman David Price, former Congressman Bob Etheridge, and N.C. State and NBA player Chris Corchiani will be on hand, along with many other dignitaries, to help create a mural made up of hundreds of individual canvas pieces, that when put together, create the Raleigh skyline. Once completed, the mural will tour the city for the next 12 months to help spread the word about Building a Stronger Raleigh Together’s mission. Those interested in attending and supporting the cause can purchase tickets at www.strongerraleigh.com.

With more than 50 percent of its population living below the poverty line, 40 percent of its residents without a high school diploma and a 20 percent unemployment rate, Southeast Raleigh faces challenges unheard of in most communities. Building a Stronger Raleigh Together is a joint initiative of Passage Home and J.D. Lewis Center with the mission of breaking the cycle of poverty in Southeast Raleigh by raising $250,000 to impact an additional 775 families (increasing combined total impact to 11,899 individuals) through programs that offer opportunities for employment, training, education and housing.

For more information, visit http://strongerraleigh.com.

QUOTES:

“We are excited about the final event coming up for the 2015 Building A Stronger Raleigh Together campaign, which we are sure will be fun for everyone involved,” said Jeanne Tedrow, CEO of Passage Home. “Our campaign is all about joining together to make Raleigh the best that it can be, so there’s no better way to do this than by getting together to create something beautiful to showcase such a great city.”

“I am quite honored to donate my space for the inaugural “Building a Stronger Raleigh Together” VIP Affair,” said Emmy Preiss, Owner of Wine and Design, “because I commend the admirable cause. Here at Wine and Design we take pride in offering our customers a fun and safe environment in which people of all kinds come together to venture outside of their comfort zones. We give our customers the opportunity and resources to create something wonderful, offering our help along the way. In this respect, our mission does not stray too much from the mission of Passage Home and the J.D. Lewis Center. The stability this campaign will provide Raleigh residents is an invaluable step in the process of breaking the poverty cycle. In partnership with Building a Stronger Raleigh Together, art imitates life in the most fundamental way. Having the courage and stability to push ourselves forward can yield endless and colorful results.”

DETAILS:

- Passage Home’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty for communities in Wake County. This is accomplished by connecting families and neighborhoods to resources and opportunities. Passage Home prepares people to receive their blessings. By staying true to core values and focus, the organization continues to lead the charge on poverty in Wake County.

- The mission of the J.D. Lewis Multi-Purpose Center is to service and impact youth through enhanced educational opportunities designed to create a positive leisure, cultural and educational experience that enhances the quality of life.

NEW MEDIA CONTENT:

www.strongerraleigh.com

Building a Stronger Raleigh Together Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/strongerraleigh

Building a Stronger Raleigh Together Twitter feed:

www.twitter.com/strongerraleigh

Passage Home Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/passagehome

Passage Home Twitter feed:

https://twitter.com/PassageHome

J.D. Lewis Multi-Purpose Center Facebook page:

http://on.fb.me/1NLeV8d

J.D. Lewis Multi-Purpose Center Twitter feed:

https://twitter.com/JDLewisCenter

ABOUT PASSAGE HOME:

Passage Home is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community action agency headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1991, the organization fights poverty and homelessness in Wake County by developing people and places, and strengthening communities. Through its network of local corporations, congregations and community organizations, Passage Home focuses on two core services: family self-sufficiency (people) and economic development (places). The nonprofit also strives to improve the community it serves through giving program participants a hand up, not a handout. Passage Home relies on 29 full-time employees, 10 part-time employees and more than 500 volunteers to make its vision a success. For more information, visit http://passagehome.org.

ABOUT THE J.D. LEWIS MULTI-PURPOSE CENTER:

The J.D. Lewis Multipurpose Center was established in 2004 in order to bring the Raleigh community together with programs, activities and life experiences. The programs at the center are designed in order to create a positive legal, cultural and educational experience that enhances the quality of life for those in the area. For more information, visit http://jd-lewis-center.com/.

ABOUT “BUILDING A STRONGER RALEIGH TOGETHER”

Passage Home, the JD Lewis Center and its nonprofit, The B.A.G.S. Foundation are working together along with VIP community ambassadors to build a stronger Raleigh. It is a movement spanning five months and three events with a focus on breaking the cycle of poverty in Southeast Raleigh and a fundraising goal of $250,000. The movement is in its inaugural year with the goal of uniting more and more nonprofits together each year as they work to build a stronger Raleigh together. These funds will allow Passage Home, the J.D. Lewis Multi-Purpose Center and its nonprofit, the B.A.G.S Foundation, to increase their combined impact by 775 homeless and low-income families and individuals. Together they can impact 11,899 people.

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