RALEIGH, N.C., July 8, 2015 – “Building a Stronger Raleigh Together”, a partnership between Passage Home, and the J.D. Lewis Multi-Purpose Center, kicked off its campaign to raise $250,000 in 2015 in an effort to break the cycle of poverty in Southeast Raleigh through access to stable housing, healthy food, education, employment and opportunity.

Key community supporters and corporate sponsors, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, PNC, Bayer and Cargill, along with VIP Ambassadors Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane, Danny Rosin of Band Together, Greg and Samantha Hatem of Empire Eats, Chris Corchiani of DNJ Mortgage, Congressman Bob Etheridge, Nation Hahn of Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation and Karis and Tim Tompkins, are working together to raise awareness of the “Building a Stronger Raleigh” initiative and to help reach this aggressive goal. Many partners, as well as newly signed San Antonio Spurs forward David West, gathered at Sitti restaurant in downtown Raleigh on July 6th to rally support for this movement and for their upcoming major campaign fundraiser on Saturday, August 1.

That day, Passage Home, the J.D. Lewis Multi-Purpose Center and community supporters will hold a free Family Festival at Needham B. Broughton High School from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to close out summer vacation and bring in the new school year. This family-friendly event will feature moon bounces, slip-n-slides, rock walls, food trucks and more. In addition, an All-Star Exhibition Basketball Game featuring professional and college players with local ties such as David West and T.J. Warren to name a few will be held in Broughton’s Holliday Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m.. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at www.strongerraleigh.com.

Corporate sponsorships are available for this event, and include admission tickets to the Family Festival and the All-Star Basketball Game. Funds raised through this event will benefit Passage Home and the J.D. Lewis Multi-Purpose Center to serve nearly 12,000 Southeast Raleigh residents. Funds will also help with the future expansion of the existing J.D. Lewis basketball facility as well as the addition of two soccer fields and one baseball field. The facility will impact more than 1,000 families living in Southeast Raleigh.

For more information, visit www.strongerraleigh.com

QUOTES:

“We are excited to partner with the J.D. Lewis Center to break the cycle of poverty in Wake County,” said Jeanne Tedrow, CEO of Passage Home. “We are excited to bring all our partners together to let everyone know about the upcoming Family Festival and All-Star game, and bring Raleigh together to build a better future for all citizens.”

“Raleigh is such a great place to live and work, but some have a harder time accomplishing all that they could,” said Tedrow. “We are working together with the great people of the J.D. Lewis Center to help our neighbors in need, and we encourage everyone to support “Building a Stronger Raleigh Together” to help us reach our goals.”

“We must pay attention to the divide between the Raleigh that is growing rapidly & prospering, and the Raleigh that consistently faces hunger, crushing poverty and economic devastation,” said Nation Hahn, founder of the Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation. “We cannot have ‘two Raleighs’ — one that is doing well, one that is hanging on — if we are to be the city that we seek to become.

“Raleigh is growing. Fast,” said Danny Rosin, co-founder or Band Together. “We need to ensure that we’re making calculated decisions and not leaving any part of our community out of the plan. If we’re not careful, we’ll lose our way and screw it up for next gens. That said, we need transparency and vulnerability into the issues surrounding us. And we need to invite all stakeholders to the table to ensure that we are not swinging for the fences and striking out.”

DETAILS:

- Passage Home offers services impacting family self-sufficiency, youth development, neighborhood stabilization and revitalization, economic and community development for citizens throughout 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/.