What happens when a community comes together to celebrate financial wellness? On October 16, Common Wealth Charlotte (CWC) brought supporters and community partners together at The Auto Pour for an autumn auction fundraiser in celebration of the American Bankers Association Foundation’s “Get Smart About Credit” Day. Thanks to the generosity of our community, the evening raised $20,474 to support CWC’s mission! 

Common Wealth Charlotte (CWC) has formed new partnerships that create unique, alternative ways for you to support our mission this fall season. Whether you are looking to feed your family or do some early holiday shopping, below are opportunities that will directly donate a portion of sales from each night to CWC!

Common Wealth Charlotte is excited to announce the addition of four new members to the CWC Board of Directors: Ben Bellury (Edward Jones), Joyce Cadesca (Novant Health), Steven Friedman (retired, VITA Latino volunteer), and Sean Meisler (USAA). 

VITA Latino is a component of Common Wealth Charlotte’s (CWC) Spanish initiative, Buenas Finanzas Carolinas (BFC). This program focuses on serving a segment of the community that has historically encountered obstacles in tax preparation due to financial and language barriers; it delivers a comprehensive range of financial literacy and capability services while being tailored through a culturally sensitive approach to more effectively serve Charlotte’s expanding and underserved Latinx community. Since inception in 2023, VITA Latino has returned a total of $3,412,423 in tax refunds. 

CWC is excited to announce the addition of our newest staff member, Jim Bales! Jim joins Common Wealth Charlotte as Accountant. In this role, he will bring 35+ years of experience doing bookkeeping and tax preparation. 

Over the past decade, CWC has proven every day that a dedicated client can successfully move away from continual reliance on government or charitable assistance into graduated tiers of financial capability. In celebration of this year’s Financial Literacy Month, CWC hostedCheers to Ten More Years: Croissants, Community, and Conversations.

CWC is excited to announce the addition of our newest staff member, Annissa McDowell! Annissa joins Common Wealth Charlotte as a Financial Counselor. In this role, she will assist individuals and families in achieving their financial goals by empowering them with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed financial decisions, whether it’s budgeting, saving, or navigating debt. 

Featured by NC Treasurer: A practical guide on when to determine whether to continue or exit a financial situation, along with steps to help provide an exit.

Common Wealth Charlotte (CWC) announces that Tashara Brown has been appointed as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer, effective December 11. Well known for her work as Community Engagement Manager at Charlotte Works, Brown brings deep experience in community partnership, workforce development, and economic mobility. Her appointment follows a comprehensive search led by CWC’s Board of Directors.

It is with deep sadness that we at Common  Wealth  Charlotte extend our heartfelt condolences on the passing of Doug Lebda. Under his leadership at LendingTree, his vision and support played a meaningful role in our growth and in shaping our shared community in Charlotte.

After eight years of dedicated leadership, Chuck Jones has announced his plans to retire as Executive Director of Common Wealth Charlotte (CWC), effective December 31, 2025. The organization, which provides financial education and 0%-interest loans to Charlotte’s economically-vulnerable wage earners, has flourished under his leadership.

VITA Latino is a component of Common Wealth Charlotte’s (CWC) Spanish initiative, Buenas Finanzas Carolinas (BFC). This program delivers a comprehensive range of financial literacy and capability services while being tailored through a culturally sensitive approach to more effectively serve Charlotte’s expanding and underserved Latinx community. Since inception, VITA Latino has returned a total of $2,150,238 in tax refunds – and the financial impact continues to grow. 

CWC proves every day that a dedicated client can successfully move away from continual reliance on government or charitable assistance into graduated tiers of financial capability. And this Financial Literacy Month, CWC hosted a fundraiser in celebration of its 10^th birthday, The Faces of Change, highlighting a 10-Year retrospective of Charlotte's quest for upward economic mobility. 

Common Wealth Charlotte is excited to announce the addition of our newest staff member, Elena Blackwell! Elena joins CWC’s Latinx initiative, Buenas Finanzas Carolinas, as Financial Counselor. In this role, she will provide client engagement as well as community outreach for the VITA Latino program.  

Common Wealth Charlotte (CWC) has announced it has received a $60,000 multiyear grant from the U.S. Bank Foundation. This grant will enable CWC to continue its vital mission of supporting Charlotte’s low-income wage earners and fostering financial capability as a genuine pathway to economic mobility. 

CWC is excited to announce the addition of our newest staff member, Meleny Peña-Johnson! Meleny joins Common Wealth Charlotte (CWC) as a Financial Counselor. In this role she will assist financial and credit counseling with clients to help them obtain their long-term goal of greater financial wellness. 

As we recently evaluated our former financial counseling process, we identified areas to enhance and better align with CWC's mission and our clients' financial journeys. Designed with five key financial planning milestones, our updated counseling framework lays out clear goals and milestones, ensuring every client has a roadmap to financial capability.

CWC is excited to announce the addition of our newest staff member, Julie Drinkhahn! Julie joins Common Wealth Charlotte (CWC) as Grants Manager, providing oversight of CWC's core fundraising efforts.

Common Wealth Charlotte is excited to announce the addition of four new members to the CWC Board of Directors!

Financial Health Workplace is designed to help hourly wage earners at small and medium sized businesses move from financial insecurity to financial capability through access to CWC’s programs and services at their workplace.