The Community Vault

Kerri Smith, the Greenville City Executive of Self Help Credit Union and member of the SC Fair Lending Alliance joins us to talk about capping the interest rate in SC. Currently, there is no cap for interest rates in SC, which allows lenders to charge three figures in interest rates, perpetuating poverty and the debt trap. Listen and learn how you can join us in advocating for fair lending and financial equity for all.

Listen as we celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week with Entrepreneur, Dionne Sandiford. Dionne is the owner of A Corporate Stitch and a client of CommunityWorks and CW Women's Business Center. Ana Parra and Sara Carter of the CW WBC talk with Dionne about her journey as a minority, female entrepreneur. Dionne's passion is contagious! 

Listen along as we chat with Deborah McKetty, the Senior Vice President for Community Impact at United Way of Greenville County. Deborah founded CommunityWorks and served as the CEO until 2019. A Greenville native, she opens up about her experience with fighting for racial equity in her career and beyond. She gives insight into her position on the REEM (Racial Equity and Economic Mobility Commission) Commission and talks about how Greenville residents can help fight for justice. https://www.unitedwaygc.org/ https://www.reemgvl.org/ https://communityworkscarolina.org/

CommunityWorks is a unique organization, and we receive many questions from potential clients and partners about who we are and who we serve. In this episode, we chat with Katy Davenport, the Chief Program Officer of CommunityWorks to get back to the basics. We discuss: What does it mean to be a nonprofit financial institution? How is CommunityWorks different than a bank? Is it free to work with CommunityWorks? What is a predatory lender? AND MORE!  https://communityworkscarolina.org/ https://www.facebook.com/CommunityWorksCarolina https://www.instagram.com/communityworks_sc/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/

Listen as we speak with Susan McLarty, the Coordinator of Greenville Homeless Alliance - a coalition formed in 2014 to address the rise in homelessness in Greenville. We discuss why homelessness is an issue, what the city and the county are doing, and what you can do about it.  Learn more about GHA here: https://www.gvlhomes4all.org/

Listen as we talk with Madeleine McGee, the President, and CEO of TogetherSC about the nonprofit sector in SC. Together SC is South Carolina's only organization focused solely on strengthening the state's nonprofit community through education, advocacy and leadership. We discuss how nonprofits in SC are doing in the wake of COVID, how people can get involved (volunteer, career, financially) with nonprofits, and more. https://www.togethersc.org/

June marks homeownership month. While we celebrate the benefits of homeownership and the American dream, it's also crucial to look at the growing need for affordable housing, home preservation, and community development. Bryan Brown, the CEO of The Greenville Housing Fund, and John Castile, the Executive Director for the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority, join Virginia and Tammie to discuss the current need for affordability in Greenville's housing market as the city continues to grow and expand. Hear their expert thoughts on the current issues facing the housing market, and the 10 year strategic plan they partnered to create and preserve affordable housing for Greenville's future. Learn more about Greenville Housing Fund here: https://greenvillehousingfund.com/ Learn more about Greenville County Redevelopment Authority here: https://gcra-sc.org/ As always, you can find CommunityWorks here: https://communityworkscarolina.org/

In observance of Small Business Week, Gregg White the District Director for South Carolina at U.S. Small Business Administration, and Michele Abraham, the SC Small Business Development Center State Director join us to discuss the state of small businesses in South Carolina. From entrepreneur advice to the Restaurant Revitalization Grant, we cover all things small business. Learn more about what the SBA can do for you: https://www.sba.gov/ Learn more about what SBDC can do for you: https://www.scsbdc.com/

Join us as we discuss COVID Relief Funding and Community Development with Greenville County. Meredith Papapieris, the Director of Grants and Special Projects, and Nicole Wood, the Assistant County Administrator, share the journey of distributing the 91M Greenville County received through the Cares Act in Greenville County. We specifically discuss how small businesses were affected by COVID and positively impacted by the relief funding. We also talk through how CommunityWorks partnered with the County to distribute the Cares Act funding for small businesses - particularly through the Hospitality Grant. To keep up to date with Greenville County, visit their website: https://www.greenvillecounty.org/

In this episode of the Community Vault, we discuss key policy efforts surrounding Community Economic Development in South Carolina. Bernie Mazyck, the President and CEO of the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development (SCACED), and South Carolina Representative, Chandra Dillard join Tammie Hoy Hawkins, CEO of CommunityWorks, and Virginia Wilson, Communications Manager of CommunityWorks for this interesting discussion. We discuss COVID-19's impact on CED in SC, legislation affecting CED and low-moderate income communities, and how anyone can advocate for a brighter future for our state.  Learn more about SCACED: https://www.scaced.org/ Join the Advocacy Bootcamp Webinar Series: https://www.scaced.org/community-development-institute Reach Representative Chandra Dillard: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/member.php?code=0479545397 Find your State Representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative Learn more about CommunityWorks: https://communityworkscarolina.org/

What is the CommunityWorks Women's Business Center? Why is it important? How are we seeing women entrepreneurship grow and evolve in the midst of COVID-19. Tune in as we discuss the Women's Business Center with the CW WBC Program Director, Ana Parra.  Website / sign up for a consultation: https://communityworkscarolina.org/womens-business-center/ WBC FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/communityworkswbc

Welcome to The Community Vault, where we discuss unlocking financial equity and justice with CommunityWorks. During the first episode, we will introduce you to CommunityWorks, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution located in Greenville, South Carolina. We hope you’ll join us as we talk to local leaders, entrepreneurs, financial experts and more about creating more vibrant and financially stable communities for everyone.