HeARTbeat:  An evening honoring non-profits through Dance and Visual Art. Bringing to life the story of 10 local non-profits.

Playing for Others has selected 10 non-profits to be honored at a combination Dance & Visual Art evening on Friday, May 3rd at the Booth Playhouse. These 10 non-profits have been selected by 7 local for-profit companies that have commissioned a piece of dance and visual art in their honor. Representatives from the non-profits are sharing their mission, vision and success stories with our teens who will then interpret those into a final dance piece to be performed live on stage and the revealing of an accompanying visual art piece. Come support PFO and these 10 vital non-profits as we honor the work they do in our community; Alexander Youth Network, Allegro, Council for Children’s Rights, Habitat for Humanity, Latin American Coalition, Let Me Run, The Queens Crown, Swarajj Yoga, Speak Up Magazine and Urban Ministries.

 Please visit www.playingforothers.org to learn more and purchase tickets.

Board Members Robert Singagliese & Martha Schmitt

Hayden Brown, Lauren Woodruff, & Charles Bouwman

The Hon. Rickye McKoy-Mitchell & Beth Gregg

Barbara Wright, Brett Loftis, Carissa Phelps & Ed O’Keefe

Our fabulous crowd of over 720 people!

The Junior League of Charlotte raising their “Pinwheels for Prevention.”

http://law.duke.edu/video/parent-parent-navigating-special-education-your-child

25th Anniversary Kick-Off

Saturday, April 20, 2013
Founder’s Hall
Limited Tickets Available from $75 – $250
Visit the Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend Website for more details

Please contact Laura Maguire if you are interested and need help deciding what to attend. Also, make sure you attribute your ticket purchase to Council for Children’s Rights! We appreciate all you do to help us ensure all Charlotte’s children are safe, healthy and educated.

Laura Maguire

704-943-9460

lauram@cfcrights.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Council for Children’s Rights to host A Night for Children’s Rights on January 31, 2013 and bids farewell to longtime child advocate Brett A. Loftis

January 15, 2013  –  The third annual A Night for Children’s Rights will be hosted by Council for Children’s Rights on Thursday, January 31, 2013, at The Charlotte Convention Center from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. thanks to presenting sponsors Bank of America and Wells Fargo.   Community members, supporters, volunteers and activists are encouraged to attend.  A Night for Children’s Rights, the Council for Children’s Rights annual fundraiser, will feature Carissa Phelps and United States Attorney Anne M. Tompkins.

In addition, Charlotte will also say goodbye to one of its most outspoken child advocates and visionaries at A Night for Children’s Rights. Brett A. Loftis, Executive Director of Council for Children’s Rights, will leave to become CEO of The Crossnore School in Avery County, North Carolina.

Phelps will share her inspiring turn-around story about moving from her life on the streets to becoming a strong, successful woman, driven by her desire to pay it forward by helping kids in need with a crowd of over 800.  Before Phelps was an attorney, author, and advocate, she was first, a survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking. Phelps understands the challenges children face after being neglected and sexually exploited herself.  Abandoned at the age of 12, Phelps turned her life around and eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics summa cum laude from Fresno State, and her JD and MBA from UCLA.  Phelps is also an author of Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets, One Helping Hand at a Time.

The community will also say goodbye to Loftis on the 31^st.  For over 12 years, Loftis has worked tirelessly with one goal in mind. He passionately believes all children should have the opportunity to grow up safe, healthy and educated. At the start of his career in Charlotte, he advocated for children on a wide range of issues, including special education, abuse/neglect, mental health, healthcare, and other areas of civil legal representation. In 2005, Loftis became the Executive Director of Council for Children’s Rights and has worked to build the organization to where it is today – a comprehensive continuum of legal representation and advocacy services for children in Mecklenburg County.

The team at Council for Children’s Rights has grown from eight to over 30 in Loftis’ seven years as Executive Director. The work he leads is vital in ensuring all children have a voice, a voice that ensures they are safe, healthy and educated. A voice that speaks for them regardless of socio-economic status, race, religion, sex, or ability status.

Loftis is a visionary. In 2006, he helped lead the consolidation of the Children’s Law Center and Council for Children, forming one of the first collaborations of like-minded non-profits in the community. Then, in 2009, Loftis helped launch The Larry King Center for Building Children’s Futures, an initiative of the Council for Children’s Rights, focused on making lasting, system-wide change for children in Mecklenburg County and North Carolina.   The focus on system-wide change stems from unparalleled research and evaluation, community planning and policy advocacy. The initiative will help improve child well-being indicators for all 234,000 children living in Mecklenburg County.   This ground-breaking undertaking has the potential to inform and change the way communities across the country serve children.

As a result of the many innovative approaches and relationships Loftis has formed to advocate for all children, he has positioned Council for Children’s Rights as the expert on children’s issues. The legacy he created will continue to move the agency forward. Every single one of the children living in Charlotte deserves a sound and basic education, access to health and mental health care and to live in a safe environment. The voice that Loftis provides to all children should not be underestimated. Our community is a better place to live in because of his vision and his ability to unite our community to see all children as equal.

Council for Children Rights has been the leading voice for children’s rights since 1979.

January 31, 2013, Charlotte, NC – Council for Children’s Rights (“CFCR”) has retained former Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton to serve as the agency’s Interim Executive Director during the agency’s search for a new Executive Director to replace Brett Loftis, who announced in late December that he was leaving the Council.

Walton served Charlotte as its City Manager from 2007 until his recent retirement at the end of 2012.  Before he became City Manager, Walton was an assistant city manager and deputy city manager for internal operations from 2002 to 2007.  He started working in Charlotte in 1986.

Walton will work with Loftis and the staff leadership team to ensure a smooth transition.  Walton will report to Bruce Steen, Board President, and the Board of Directors of CFCR during the transition period.  According to Steen, “having Curt step in at this time is a great value to allow the staff to continue their good work, without interruption, and allow the Board to concentrate on our top priority of recruiting and selecting the best permanent executive for the organization.   We are lucky to have Curt’s deep knowledge of our community and excellent general management and leadership skills available to us during this transition”.  Walton comes to the role through Levridge Resources, a consulting firm to non-profit organizations.

The Council has begun a comprehensive national search for a new Executive Director.  According to Steen, retaining Walton will permit the Board to be deliberate in that search process.  “In late 2012, the Board started an exciting strategic planning initiative, and it is vitally important that we identify and hire the absolute best Executive Director possible.”  Walton is not a candidate for the permanent Executive Director position.  “That is not his role,” Steen said.  “Curt’s role is to provide the kind of expert management and good stewardship that will permit the Board to devote more of its time and attention to the search for a new leader.”

Council for Children’s Rights is the voice for children in the Charlotte Region; we stand up for every child’s right to be safe, healthy and educated through holistic legal advocacy, expert research and community planning.

Email:              penny@cfcrights.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 20, 2012, Charlotte, NC  –  Charlotte will say goodbye to one of its most outspoken child advocates and visionaries on January 31, 2013.  Brett A. Loftis, Executive Director of Council for Children’s Rights, will leave to become CEO of The Crossnore School in Avery County, North Carolina.

Since 2000, Loftis has worked tirelessly with one goal in mind.  He passionately believes all children should have the opportunity to grow up safe, healthy and educated.  At the start of his career in Charlotte, he advocated for children on a wide range of issues, including special education, abuse/neglect, mental health, healthcare, and other areas of civil legal representation.  In 2005, Loftis became the Executive Director of Council for Children’s Rights and has worked to build the organization to where it is today – a comprehensive continuum of legal representation and advocacy services for children in Mecklenburg County.

Loftis will say goodbye to the Charlotte community at Council for Children’s Rights annual fundraiser A Night for Children’s Rights.  The event will take place at The Charlotte Convention Center on January 31, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. with over 800 expected to attend.  Special Guest speaker Carissa Phelps will share her inspiring turn-around story about moving from her life on the streets to becoming a strong, successful woman, driven by her desire to pay it forward by helping kids in need.

The team at Council for Children’s Rights has grown from eight to over 30 in Loftis’ seven years as Executive Director.  The work he leads is vital in ensuring all children have a voice, a voice that ensures they are safe, healthy and educated.  A voice that speaks for them regardless of socio-economic status, race, religion, sex, or ability status.

Loftis is a visionary.  In 2006, he helped lead the consolidation of the Children’s Law Center and Council for Children, forming one of the first collaborations of like-minded non-profits in the community.  Then, in 2009, Loftis helped launch The Larry King Center for Building Children’s Futures, an initiative of the Council for Children’s Rights, focused on making lasting, system-wide change for children in Mecklenburg County and North Carolina.   The focus on system-wide change stems from unparalleled research and evaluation, community planning and policy advocacy.  The initiative will help improve child well-being indicators for all 234,000 children living in Mecklenburg County.   This ground-breaking undertaking has the potential to inform and change the way communities across the country serve children.

As a result of the many innovative approaches and relationships Loftis has formed to advocate for all children, he has positioned Council for Children’s Rights as the expert on children’s issues.  The legacy he created will continue to move the agency forward.  Every single one of the children living in Charlotte deserves a sound and basic education, access to health and mental health care and to live in a safe environment.  The voice that Loftis provides to all children should not be underestimated.  Our community is a better place to live in because of his vision and his ability to unite our community to see all children as equal.

Council for Children’s Rights is the voice for children in the Charlotte Region; we stand up for every child’s right to be safe, healthy and educated through holistic legal advocacy, expert research and community planning.  For additional information, please contact Penny Hawkins at (704) 943-9476. www.cfcrights.org

The Crossnore School’s mission is to provide hope and healing in a homelike, residential setting for children from families in crisis. It continues to change the trajectory of lives and families in the mountains of North Carolina.  www.crossnoreschool.org

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