65 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com /CharlestonWomen Community transformation. It’s a lofty goal, one that many dream of, some attempt and few achieve. Enter The Hub at Centerpoint. Not only has The Hub found success in their efforts at bettering their community, but they are also helping others in their own journeys to the same destination. As a key founder in The Hub, with a background in international community development in Kathmandu, Nepal, Kristin Parker identified a need within our community. There are 4,130 nonprofits in the Greater Charleston area, employing over 32,000 people and generating over $10 billion in revenue. One could infer, based on those numbers, that community needs would be at a minimum. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case. Due to the many service gaps that do still exist, and the fact that available resources are difficult to access, the cycles of poverty continue for many people throughout the area. With the help of Holly Kelly, The Hub’s community engagement director, Parker has set out on a mission to revolutionize the nonprofit world as a whole, starting right here in the Lowcountry. Parker said, “Our work matters because people’s lives matter. There is too much at stake. If we work together, we can better ensure that people are cared for, resources are used as intended and cycles of poverty are broken.” The Hub is located on the beautiful six-acre campus of Centerpoint Church on Remount Road in North Charleston. The large, centrally-located facility offers everything from meeting space to training rooms, providing assistance to up-and-coming non-profits as well as those more established. In an innovative process they have termed “The Collaboration Pathway,” Parker and Kelly guide aspiring grassroots community service leaders through a series of classes and training modules intended to build efficient organizations that can most effectively reach their intended recipients. This creative process allows The Hub not only to equip these leaders with the tools, education and mentorship they need, but it also helps bridge the gap between available resources, organizations and the underserved communities they aspire to transform. Parker further elaborated by explaining that The Collaboration Pathway, “leads participants into the ‘For the City Network’ that the Hub is creating (coming in 2024).” This network will be a multi-sector alliance of business owners, educators, government officials, church leaders and nonprofit leaders. In this space, they can pool their skills and expertise to mobilize all available assets and talents for the collective betterment of our communities. Working together, they can more effectively address common challenges, support grassroots community leaders and promote positive change. The Hub’s goals for the city are simple, yet impactful. They include reducing redundancy and duplication of services, bringing leaders from a wide range of services together to meet as many needs as possible, including everyone in their mission and outreach, regardless of education, network, or finances, ensuring that through their combined efforts more people are receiving the necessary assistance and ultimately, through collaboration rather than competition, transforming communities throughout Charleston to be more resilient, more caring, and better equipped to meet the needs of all people. A nonprofit for nonprofits BY KATIE JAMES Charleston Women in Philanthropy
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