Current Member Information
Welcome, New Member of the Children’s Alliance of Mecklenburg County!
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We are NOT a 501(c)(3). Our members voted on this. We will never compete for funds with our members. We are funded by dues, and NC Child maintains the CAN Hub.
We have a monthly membership meeting on the first Wednesday of the month from 8:30 to 10 am. Since 2021, it has been hybrid – in person at the Ascend Nonprofit Boardroom and on Zoom.
There are currently two part-time employees:​​​​​​
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Jenny Harbin is the director and has worked with the Children’s Alliance since 2009. She works 15 hours a week. Her background is in marketing and communications. She is a retired foster mom passionate about the foster care system and youth mental health.
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Frank Crawford works as a consultant and manages our CAN Hub work. Frank is technically retired. He worked at the Children’s Home Society. With a large part of his career spent working with youth in juvenile detention, he has a huge passion for advocating for those youth and the systems that support them. He was a leader in Mecklenburg County’s effort to support the statewide implementation of Raise the Age. Frank is an original Children’s Alliance member.
We have a five-person Leadership Team. It is made up of members, and the term is two years. Every organization is required to take a turn on the team.
We collect dues once a year – our fiscal year starts in January. Our dues structure is below. It is based on the part of your budget that is devoted to youth in Mecklenburg County.
We are the Mecklenburg County Child Advocacy Network (CAN) Hub for NC Child. We are currently one of six. The other counties are Buncombe, Guilford, Robeson, New Hanover, and Wayne.
NC Child is a statewide child advocacy organization. It was established in 2014. Its goal is to advocate for policies that improve the lives of all North Carolina children.
Membership Document Library
This is our most current copy of our handbook.
Invoices weres sent out to members in January
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For over a year the Fatherhood committee explored the challenges and impacts of father absence, particularly in Mecklenburg County. Fathers play a critical role in promoting children’s emotional, social, and academic well-being. Many conversations highlighted the correlation between fatherlessness and issues like poverty, juvenile delinquency, and family instability. We spoke to many local experts who advocate for policies supporting father involvement, such as shared parenting laws and accessible resources for non-custodial fathers. We learned about community programs and leaders promoting fatherhood, such as Life Connections and the Urban Institute for Strengthening Families. We spoke to advocates who challenged us make agencies more “father-friendly” by addressing systemic biases and enhancing support services.