Wiley Way Soirée to be held on Oct.21, 2023

Wiley Way Soirée: Roaring 20s Night

Benefiting the Wiley Elementary Foundation and Cecilia Rawlins Fund

For more information: https://secure.givelively.org/event/wiley-elementary-foundation-inc/wiley-way-soiree-2023

The Wiley Way Soirée is an adults-only charity event to address and support important needs in the Wiley Magnet Elementary School community while having lots of fun. The Soirée also helps foster a strong school community by celebrating the pillars of the “Wiley Way”: collaboration, empathy, kindness and respect.

Parents, teachers, alums, alum parents, and friends of the school are all invited, so spread the word! It's a 1920s theme this year to connect with the Wiley 100 anniversary. The evening will include light dinner, beer and wine from Trophy Brewing, dancing, music by DJ Supreme, a silent auction and toasts to Wiley's many milestones! 

This year the Soirée is shining a light on two non-profit organizations at the school: 

  • The Cecilia Rawlins Fund provides Wiley students and families in need with food and housing assistance - a need that has grown dramatically during the past year. 

  • The Wiley Elementary Foundation raises funds to increase teacher and staff pay as a way to strengthen Wiley’s award-winning International Studies magnet program.

All proceeds from this event, including the silent auction, will be shared 50-50 by the organizations. 

Tickets & Donated Teacher Tickets

Early Bird tickets until 10/10: $60/person. Regular price tickets start 10/11: $75/person. Check out the option to donate a Teacher Ticket so teachers and staff can attend for free – 42 have signed up. It’s way more fun when they come!

Help Sponsor with Soirée Supporter Packages 

Consider sponsoring the event as a Soirée Supporter! For individuals, you receive event entry + special benefits AND give an extra charitable boost to the benefit organizations. Businesses receive all these same features AND your company is highlighted to parents and leaders in our community.

Online Silent Auction

The Wiley Way Soirée silent auction will be an online opportunity for our community to share and bid on unique and exciting items at a range of price points. You can participate in the auction as a donor or bidder whether you attend the Soirée or not!  The auction will be live October 13-21. Sign up to donate an item in the "Sponsor This Event" section of the ticket page.

What to Wear

Festive attire - Flapper and Great Gatsby costumes are encouraged. We'll have a few extra accessories in case you forget your feather boa. The party venue features both indoor space and a tented outdoor grass area, so we discourage spiky high heels.

Parking 

Parking on site is limited, but front door VIP parking is included in many Supporter Packages! There is on-street parking when the small lot fills up. We recommend ride sharing services. 

CRF supported more than 50 Wiley kids this holiday season thanks to supporters

This year, families needing assistance at Wiley have remained at a record-high number with 52 students participating in the BackPack Buddies program. The BackPack Buddies program is funded in partnership with Inter-faith Food Shuttle.  Every Friday, backpacks filled with balanced meals are sent home to students and their families who are at risk of hunger. 

 

In addition to BackPackBuddies, CRF also assisted a family moving from homelessness to permanent housing this Fall and provided grocery and Walmart gift cards to help with food costs over holidays and breaks for our families.

 

Since the beginning of this school year, CRF has dispersed over $18,000 to Wiley families in need.  CRF would not be able to provide this support without the generous donations of our Wiley and extended community.  

 

With the need ongoing, we are looking ahead to Spring and Summer breaks as well. Please consider supporting our own Wiley community in 2022.  All it takes to sponsor a BackPack Buddy for the remainder of the school year is $131.25 and every donation counts.   

 

Holiday Helper and Food Drives this December!

This December, the Cecilia Rawlins Fund needs help to pull off a holiday miracle for our Wiley community. The food insecurity at Wiley more than doubled from 38 to 80 children requesting and qualifying for food support since August of 2020. The need is unprecedented for our school. The Cecilia Rawlins Fund is working to raise funds to provide at least $100 grocery gift cards for all 80 children for the upcoming December break. 

We are also working to raise funds for an additional gift card for our families as a “Holiday Helper” to provide families access to gifts and clothing for our Wiley students for the holidays. The traditional program run by our school social worker will not be available this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, and the Cecilia Rawlins Fund wants to ensure every child feels the holiday cheer this year. 

In all we are hoping to raise an additional $20,000 this December to distribute to our families in need. Please consider donating $100 today, but any amount will help us make it a special holiday season for our neediest students. While the holidays might look different this year for all of us, you can help us make a big difference for our Wiley community. 

Go to our website at rawlinsfund.org to donate. You can choose our general donation button on the homepage. You’ll also see a “Holiday Helper” tab on the homepage to participate in that drive specifically. Every dollar raised will be spent to support our Wiley students.

Sincerely, 

The Cecilia Rawlins Fund Board

PS This is an all-volunteer organization, so every penny that you donate goes directly to our families in need and is tax deductible.



Legal Aid Information for Renters

CARES Act NC Eviction Information Helpline:

919-590-9164

ARE YOU BEING EVICTED?

Some landlords are trying to evict tenants illegally

June 21, 2020

The governor’s order banned landlords from filing eviction cases or scheduling lockouts between May 30 and June 20.

If your landlord did something to try to evict you between May 30 and June 20, your landlord may be breaking the law and you may have a legal right to stop the eviction. The new CARES Act freezes evictions for nonpayment of rent for “covered properties” until near the end of August.

If you rent a home that has a federal housing subsidy (like Section 8, public housing, a tax credit, etc.), or if the property you are renting has a federally backed mortgage (like an FHA loan, a VA loan, a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan, etc.), it is a “covered property,” and a landlord is not allowed to evict for nonpayment right now.

If a landlord filed a case after March 27 but didn’t file the CARES Act affidavit, then the case should be dismissed.

The N.C. Supreme Court ordered that landlords trying to evict tenants for nonpayment after March 27 must file an affidavit stating that their property is not covered under the CARES Act.

If you think your landlord may be breaking the law, Legal Aid of North Carolina is FREE and may be able to help—even if you missed your first eviction court date or already had an eviction judgment entered against you. You have 10 days to appeal an eviction judgment.

You may qualify for Rental Assistance.
The Department of Health and Human Services allocated $26 million for rental assistance for tenants. Call Legal Aid of North Carolina to find the Community Assistance agency in your county.

We may be able to help you.
If you need legal help, call the Legal Aid of North Carolina statewide toll-free helpline at 1-866-219-5262 or apply online here.
Se habla español.

Summer 2020 Financial Resources Guide

Hope Community Church

Phone: 919-532-0620

Address: 821 Buck Jones Rd

Raleigh, NC 27606

Hope Community Church provides benevolence assistance for those in crisis (rent, gas, water, electric), car repairs, care classes (forgiveness, marriage, etc..), recovery assistance, use of computers on site, counseling, laundry facilities, military/family support group, pre-marital counseling, a prayer team and shower facilities.

Dorcas Ministries

Phone: (919) 469-9861

Address: 187 High House Road

Cary, NC 27511

Dorcas Ministries provides assistance to area residents through financial assistance, food pantry, scholarships, training programs, referrals, a mobile health clinic, employment assistance, and an affordable thrift shop. **COVID-19 Special Update: Now applications for Food and Financial Assistance can be completed online. 

Garner Area Ministries

Phone: (919) 772-9100

Address: 558 Village Court

Garner, NC 27529

Food pantry, clothing and thrift store. Rent (no eviction notice required), utility and prescription assistance.

North Hills Crisis Center

Phone: (919) 872-7379

Address: 5001 Six Forks Rd

Raleigh, NC 27609

Crisis services, financial assistance, food assistance.

First Presbyterian Church Outreach Ministry: Friendship Fund

Phone: 919-833-4070

Address: 120 W Hargett Street

Raleigh, NC 27601

The Friendship Fund provides financial counseling and aid to those in need in our community. Conceived and administered solely by First Presbyterian Church, this ministry is funded primarily through gifts, 100% of which goes directly to people with a demonstrated need.

North Raleigh Ministries

Phone: 919-844-6676

Address: 9650 Strickland Rd

Raleigh, NC 27615

Provides supportive services to individuals and families residing in the following zip codes: 27604, 27609, 27612, 27613, 27614, 27615, and 27616. Walk-In Food Pantry Hours: Mondays, Tuesday's and Thursday's, 10:30 am-2 pm, Wednesday's, 4-7:30 pm

Summer 2020 Food Resource Guide for Wake County

Food Bank of Eastern and Central NC

Grab & Go Meals for Kids - beginning March 30 through the summer

K&W Food Cafeteria   3620 Bastion Lane, Raleigh  M-F 11 am to 1 pm

Go Hard Institute  4400 Old Poole Rd, Raleigh  M-F 12 pm to 1 pm

Gateway Park Apartments  710 Gateway Pkwy, Raleigh  Mon/Wed/Fri  11 am to 12 pm

    • Food will be distributed by volunteers at curbside or other designated area to minimize safety concerns.

    • Social distancing is to be enforced by all.

    • The food will be placed in safe and sanitized food containers.

    • You will not be required to show ID.

    • Children do not have to be present with you to pick up food.

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC

Emergency Food BOXES will be available for families on Fridays at these Meal Distribution Sites:

Emergency Food BAGS will be available for families on Thursdays at these Meal Distribution Sites:

 Meal BOXES will be available every Friday, and meal BAGS will be available every Thursday.

    • These packages are available on a first-come, first-served basis from 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

    • Emergency Food packages will contain shelf-stable food (dry & canned goods).

    • No ID is required to pick up a box or bag.

Lunch and breakfast for pickup

Students aged 18 and under, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

Lunch or dinner for pickup

Western Region confirmed Community Sites
Students aged 18 and under. (Specific meal times and locations below)

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Mobile Markets

Locations and Times are available to all community members:

Northern Regional Center 350 E. Holding Ave. Wake Forest, NC 27587

Mon-Friday curbside food pickup of pre-packaged meals 11 am to 1 pm. Meals will include lunch and breakfast for the next day. On Fridays they distribute nonperishable and perishable food items for the weekend.

TriArea Food Ministry  149 E. Holding Ave. Wake Forest, NC 27587

Open for food pickup on Mondays and Wednesday and third Saturday of each month from 10 am to 1 pm. No residency or income restrictions, no referral required.

Sheetz Kidz Meal Bagz 

Kidz Meal Bagz is a program providing free meals to help children and families in need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meals will be available all day, at all 600 Sheetz locations, starting Thursday, April 16th and will include a turkey sandwich, chips and a drink.

Families interested in taking advantage of the free Kidz Meal Bagz program should go to a Sheetz location and ask an employee at the register for a meal. Families will be offered one bag per child. Meals will be available daily while supplies last.

Thank you for your generosity!

Dear Cecilia Rawlins Fund supporters:

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! 

We reached out to you on Easter weekend and asked you to consider donating to our mission to help families in need at Wiley Elementary. Due to the Covid-19 statewide lockdown and school closures, we are experiencing an uptick in requests for aid, mainly but not exclusively food-related.

By Easter Sunday, you had responded with an astounding $6,000.00 in donations. 

One week later, we were at $8000.00.

Here is what we’ve done with your donations:

Food Lion gift cards: $8000.00 

Rent Assistance: $2000.00

What’s special about the Cecilia Rawlins Fund is our ability to act quickly. When Wiley teachers and counselors notify us of an urgent need, more often than not we can address that need within 24 hours. 

Families are taking advantage of all that local and state agencies are offering, including the Food Bank, and we are working to update our website with vital information. But there are needs that might not be covered by those organizations, such as diapers, sanitary products and toiletries just to name a few. That is where we come in, and your donations are helping ensure we can go that much longer without having to turn down a request. A special thank you goes out to our sustainers; those of you with recurring monthly donations. 

For more information on how we’re responding to this unprecedented crisis, please visit our website rawlinsfund.org.

Thank you. 

Patti Merz

President

Cecilia Rawlins Fund

Bal Masque Virtual Wine Raffle Winners!

Grand Prize of 25 Bottles of Wine Plus a Certificate for a free night stay at Aloft Hotel on Hillsborough!

Winner: JESSICA GORTNER!

3 month membership to the Relax wine Club at the Wine Feed on Glenwood Ave., a $75 value!

Winner: MATTHEW FERRAGUTO!

20 Bottles of Wine, curated by local wine enthusiasts

Winner: EVA GARLAND!

15 Bottles of Wine, curated by local wine enthusiasts

Winner: ABBY ROSS!

$50 gift card to the WineStore at Cameron Village

Winner: JENNIFER SIMMONS!

The Last Eight: Eight Bottles of Wine, curated by local wine enthusiasts

Automatic win by last person to buy wine raffle tickets: VICKIE LEIGH!

Congratulations to the winners!

Click here to view our virtual drawing: https://youtu.be/Z_k1LzkW3s0

Thanks again for supporting the Cecilia Rawlins Fund at Wiley Elementary. Our mission to support students and families in need only grows more vital every day. If you’d like to donate please go to rawlinsfund.org.

Stay Healthy!

Bal Masque Cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak and NC State of Emergency

Dear Friends of CRF:

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your amazing support of both our mission and our annual fundraiser, the Bal Masque.

After a great deal of consideration among our organizers, board members, and partners regarding the current State of Emergency due to the coronavirus (COVID - 19) outbreak in our community, we have decided to cancel the Bal Masque on Saturday, March 28, 2020. At this point we have no plans to reschedule for 2020.

On a positive note, the Wine Raffle will proceed as planned! On March 28 we will hold a Virtual Wine Raffle and will notify the winners as well as publish their names on our website, rawlinsfund.org.

If you would like a full refund or to donate your ticket(s) to our General Fund please email us at ceciliarawlinsfund@gmail.com with your preference. If you wish to convert your ticket(s) to the Wine Raffle no response is needed. (One $50 General Admission ticket equals 10 Wine Raffle entries!)

Our mission at CRF remains the same: to support students and families in need at Wiley Elementary. As this situation evolves and we begin to see ripple effects such as job loss and increased food insecurity, our mission becomes even more vital.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions/concerns you might have. Your patronage and generosity has been deeply appreciated and we wish to preserve that good will.

Regards,

CRF Board

The Cecilia Rawlins Fund is pleased to announce the formation of a Jr. Board!

The CRF Jr. Board is a group of energetic and enthusiastic high school students determined

to raise awareness for CRF in Wake County. By advocating for and spreading our mission they

are gaining invaluable leadership skills for their educational and professional futures. Board

members attend meetings, participate in CRF fundraising efforts and organize volunteer events.

Our founding members are:

Brady Erhart (Broughton)

Neal Ewen (Enloe)

Milena Foglia (Enloe)

Anya Frazer (Enloe)

Kian Lowe (Enloe)

Cordelia McKelvy (Wake STEM)

Dhillon Patel (Wake Young Men’s Leadership Academy)

Layla Saah (Athens Drive)

Ekartha Sharma (Raleigh Charter)

Upcoming Jr. Board Volunteer Events:

Food Bank in Raleigh on Saturday, October 19, from 1-4

Human Beans on Sunday, December 1, from 10:30-12:00.

Bal Masque Success!

Dear friends of the Cecilia Rawlins Fund:

We are pleased to report our first annual Bal Masque to Unmask Hunger held on April 5th at Junction Salon in Raleigh was a resounding success!

With your help and donations of time, talent and money we were able to raise $6971.09! This money will be used to support Wiley students and their families through food donations or other emergency assistance. Studies show that childhood hunger is an important component of school achievement. Helping remove hunger from the equation for our students who are economically disadvantaged improves the educational experience for all our students.

We would especially like to thank our prime sponsor, Kalpna Patel, for her generous sponsorship of the venue for the Bal Masque, and CMC Hotels for their sponsorship of our photo booth, TapSnap by Pamela Lietz. The look of the Bal Masque was conceived and realized by Katen Shah Designs.

And to the Raleigh art community which embraced us and donated works for our Art Auction, we could not have done this without you.

The Cecilia Rawlins Fund, named in honor of Wiley’s long-time principal, currently assists 30 students and their families. We are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Contributions to the organization are deductible under section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

Gratefully yours,

The Cecilia Rawlins Fund Board

fullsizeoutput_1a8d.jpeg

#GivingTuesday

Giving_Tuesday_logo-no-date.jpg

Dear Friends,

On this Giving Tuesday, please consider supporting the Cecilia Rawlins Fund and its mission. CRF helps nourish children at Wiley Elementary School by funding the weekly Backpack Buddies program to provide meals to children on weekends. The fund also pays one time rent or utility payments for families in financial crisis. All programs and assistance are provided free of charge and almost 100% of donations are used to support the mission.

One in three children in North Carolina experiences food insecurity, which is higher than the national average. About 25% of Wiley students live at or below the poverty line. Chances are, you have spent time with a child who was ashamed, exhausted, anxious, unfocused, or any of the things that come with being chronically hungry.

A peek into the lives of the children and families in crisis at Wiley Elementary School:

● Some families were displaced and sought refuge in motels or split up to live with family.

● Mothers and their children escaped from abusive situations.

● Families experienced job loss, terminal illness, or natural disasters that rendered them homeless.

All of the students were able to stay at Wiley for the school year due to the McKinney-Vento Act, federal legislation that gives those kids at least one safe, stable, nurturing place. The children get two meals a day during the school year, and staff and teachers have provided additional food to help these families over weekends and breaks. The burden of providing basic needs for these homeless and hungry children has fallen on the shoulders of dedicated faculty and staff who are already strapped. Additionally, earlier this year, North Carolina lawmakers tried to take away food assistance, including school lunches, from over 50,000 children from low-income families through a special provision in the state budget.

The Cecilia Rawlins Fund is a 501 (c)(3) so your generous donations are tax deductible.

● $10 feeds a student one for one weekend

● $39 feeds a student for a month

● $175 funds a semester

● $350 funds an entire school year

We need more people in our community to make a bigger impact together. Put simply, we need your help. Donate online and tell others about this nimble little organization making a big difference.

#GivingTuesday

Dear Friend,

During this time of Thanksgiving, I want to extend my gratitude for all that you're doing to make our community a better place.  In this giving spirit, on Tuesday, November 29, 2016, The Cecilia Rawlins Fund is participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving.

Since its founding in 2012, #GivingTuesday has inspired giving around the world, resulting in greater donations, volunteer hours, and activities that bring about real change in communities.  We encourage you to join the movement this year by making a donation to The Cecilia Rawlins Fund at: http://rawlinsfund.org/

The Cecilia Rawlins Fund is a 501 (c)(3) organization named in honor of beloved Wiley Elementary School principal Cecilia Rawlins. Its mission is to support Wiley children and families in crisis.

The primary purpose of the Cecilia Rawlins Fund is to provide weekend food for food-insecure families during the school year. But, The Fund has also helped buy glasses, coats, shoes and pay one time emergency bill assistance.

North Carolina has the 8th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation! 

And, studies show that food insecurity effects children more deeply and more prevalently. Removing hunger from the equation for our students improves individual achievement and the educational experience for all. 

Through generous donations like yours, we are able to provide nutritious food to be sent home weekends during the school year with Wiley students experiencing food stress.  Through community support, the Fund currently assists 29 students for the entire school year, but, with your help, we could do more.

  • $350 feeds a child for an entire year
  • $175 feeds a child for a semester
  • $39 feeds a child for a month

100% of your donation goes directly to feeding children who may otherwise go without weekend food.

Thanks for your consideration, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Kathleen Lowe, Chair

Cecilia Rawlins Fund Board

http://rawlinsfund.org/

 

The Cecilia Rawlins Fund is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.  No consideration is given in exchange for donations.  Contributions to the organization are deductible under section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

Hunger in North Carolina

North Carolina has one the highest percentages in the United States of children under 18 years of age who are food insecure on a regular basis:  in NC almost 1 in 4. (24.6%)

Between 2010-16 North Carolina regularly ranked among the top ten states with the highest percentage of citizens experiencing food shortages; over 1,764,000 of our neighbors  - nearly one in six.

  • Approximately 160,000 different people in NC receive emergency food assistance in any given week. This is equivalent to feeding nearly every resident of Asheville, Chapel Hill and Elizabeth City every week.

  • North Carolina also ranks in the fifteen worst states in the percentage of children under 18 who are lacking food on a regular basis.

  • 81% of NC households  receiving food assistance don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

  • 36% of food pantries in NC have had to turn people away for a lack of food to give them.

  • 73% of the NC households we serve have had to choose between paying for food or paying for health care or medicine.

  • 75% of households served by food banks have had to choose between buying food and heating their homes.

  • 61% of families served by food banks have been forced to choose between paying for food or paying for housing.

  • An estimated 22% of client households have a member who has served in the military; 6% have a member currently serving.

For more information see:  http://ncfoodbanks.org/hunger-in-north-carolina/

Cecilia Rawlins Fund in the News

From food shuttle volunteer to staffer, Raleigh mom finds career helping kidsFormer CRF Board President Julie Cox:"I discovered Inter-Faith Food Shuttle while my children were at Wiley Elementary. Along with some other parents, I helped start The Ce…

From food shuttle volunteer to staffer, Raleigh mom finds career helping kids

Former CRF Board President Julie Cox:

"I discovered Inter-Faith Food Shuttle while my children were at Wiley Elementary. Along with some other parents, I helped start The Cecilia Rawlins Fund, a foundation named after a former Wiley principal. We raised money to fund part of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s BackPack Buddies program at Wiley (the rest of the bags are sponsored by St. Michael’s Episcopal Church). The CRF also helps pay for crisis needs of Wiley students and their families - glasses, shoes, one-time bill assistance. The CRF started with BackPacks for 11 students and, last year, provided weekend food for 26. At Wiley, I also volunteered in the classroom and served on several Support Circle groups to help families transitioning out of homelessness."