Category: Epic Outreach

Little Heros Blood Drive

Sep 27, 2021

There is probably nothing that pulls at the heart-strings more than a sick child or a child in need. Imagine getting the news that your child has cancer. Its tough for any parent to even think about that, let alone live it. Through the OneBlood organization and the Little Heros Campaign here in Charlotte, 40 mobile unit blood drives have been set up throughout the month of September (and into early October) to allow each of us to help save a child who may be fighting the battle of his life … or fighting for his life. Managing Director Ed Doughty and Financial Advisor Jason Dimitriou both donated their blood in honor of Liam Flynn, the young son of personal friend who is actually the one who helped to organize the month-long blood drive. Donating blood is such a simple way to “give”, but the results of your giving can literally help to save a life. We were grateful for the opportunity to give, and would encourage everyone to considering donating to the Little Heros Blood Drive. You can simply enter your zip-code and find a listing of all the remaining blood drives near year. Go to: Little Heros Blood Drive

Invest in Others Selects Wine to Water for $25,000 Grant!

Jun 22, 2021

We are so excited to announce that Wine To Water and their new Navajo and Hopi Nations water project has been selected as a recipient for a $25,000 grant from the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation!! What a blessing, and what an impact it will have on the indigenous peoples right here in the United States.

Earth Day: CharMeck Adopt-a-Stream

Apr 22, 2021

Earth Day volunteer effort: Decided to do our semi-annual Adopt-a-Stream stream clean today in recognition of Earth Day. We were thrilled to see less debris than prior efforts, but still so many plastic bottles, plastic grocery bags, and styrofoam. (more…)

Wine to Water – Amazonas Region Brazil/Columbia

Feb 12, 2020

Managing Director, Ed Doughty, just returned from a 10-day trip serving with Wine To Water, a North Carolina based non-profit that aims to eradicate the global water crisis. He and a handful other volunteers visited and worked in several remote communities along the Amazon River in Columbia and Brazil.  The main project was the construction of a 3-story water tower that will support a 5000-liter water tank connected to a water-pump pulling from a deep underground well. This water system will enable the 40 homes in the riverside community of Santa Luzia to receive water directly to their homes and to the local community school. Wine to Water has also provided a Sawyer Point-One water filter to each family so that the water piped-in from the newly constructed water system will truly provide clean water, free from any bacteria and much safer for the 100+ men, women and children of the community to utilize and consume. If you would like to learn more about Wine to Water, or would like to support them in any way, please visit their website at https://winetowater.org or simply reach out to Ed Doughty who leads the Charlotte Chapter of Wine to Water. Ed has also volunteered with WTW in Uganda, Ethiopia and the Dominican Republic.

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Dove’s Nest – Charlotte Rescue Mission

Dec 21, 2019

It was such a privilege to be the group that assembled the gift bags that were opened on Christmas morning by the women and children at Dove’s Nest. It was a clear reminder that the Christmas season truly is about giving, not just presents, but giving of one’s self for others, sharing our time and hearts and doing what we can to lift others up, to empower them, and to give them the dignity they deserve no matter their circumstances or life story. It’s also a perfect time to reflect on how blessed we are, and how grateful we are for the families that we serve doing the work we do at Epic Capital.

Dove’s Nest, Charlotte Rescue Mission’s cost-free women’s recovery program provides a structured yet loving and stable living environment aimed at helping women understand and deal with the core issues of addiction as a disease. The 120-Day program welcomes mothers with their children and focuses on spiritual, physical, social and psychological recovery, to help women understand and deal with the core issues of their alcohol and/or drug addiction. If you’d like to learn more about this extraordinary facility and program, please visit their website or give them a call @ 704-333-4673.

Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI) & The Bulb

Sep 10, 2019

What a nutrient-dense and inspirationally-packed 2-for-1 volunteer effort today, getting to take park in The Bulb’s mobile food market at the Renaissance West Community!

If you’ve never been to the Renaissance West Community Initiative, or have yet to learn about it, please go and please do. It is flat-out impressive what they have pulled together in such a short time here in Charlotte. RWCI uses a holistic community redevelopment approach, focusing on multiple critical factors, including mixed-income housing, educational opportunities, youth and adult development programs, as well as health and wellness services.

The Bulb is a spectacular grass-roots non-profit founded by Alisha Pruett six-years ago. Their mission is to provide access to (mosty) local, fresh and healthy produce as well as education on health and wellness to vulnerable and underserved neighborhoods in our local communities.  As BIG fans of healthy eating (yes, we love our veggies!), we were awestruck by the incredible variety of amazing fruits and vegetables that they provided any RWC resident who stopped by.

Please, take a minute to click on the links above and learn more about these two extraordinary organizations doing “real work” to improve the lives of others.

CharMeck Adopt-a-Stream Clean

Apr 30, 2019

The #BeEPIC Team was at it again. And we are happy to report a much improved stretch of Little Sugar Creek waterway! Despite having pulled about a full bag and a half of debris from the water and its surrounding banks, it was the least amount that we’ve seen since we started volunteering over a year ago. The primary culprits, as we’ve seen in the past, consist primarily of disposable plastic grocery store bags, styrofoam cups and take-out containers, aluminum cans, bottles, and foil snack bags. Some of the more unique items today were tattered clothes, a decomposed backpack, a softball, and a basketball. But there was some beauty among the discarded, as we saw flowers blooming, bees buzzing, and a few geese going about their day. Not to mention the sun was blazing and it was HOT! All worth it as we recognized the value of our efforts in seeing our little strip look pretty clean and alive with wildlife. If you’d like to consider volunteering with us please let us know. If you’d like to learn more please visit Storm Water Services Adopt-a-Stream Program

Men’s Shelter of Charlotte

Apr 1, 2019

The sun was out, our workload was light, and it was a FRIDAY! To top it all off we had the distinct honor of serving over 100 men a hearty meal. It doesn’t get much better than that.

That was our experience this past Friday when several of us from Epic Capital served lunch at the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte off of N. Tryon Street. It was good to be back having served there before, because each time we go we see a host of new faces, meet new volunteers and staff and always make a few new friends. We also leave with the clear understanding that the men we serve matter. They deserve the attention, the time, and the kinship that our engagement with them provides.

It is also obvious that they are grateful for our being there. If they don’t provide an all-out verbal “Thank you.”, you can see the gratitude in their eyes or in a subtle smile and a nod. We can’t even begin to imagine a day in the life of one of these men – the trials and tribulations of being homeless, but for a brief moment that split-second interaction is a meaningful connection. For them, and for us.

If you’ve never served there before, we would truly encourage you to do so. Yes it’s humbling, it’s a brief look into a world that so many of us pray never falls upon us. But your being there lets these men know that we care, that they truly are worth our time, and that they are worthy of so much more than where they are at that moment in time.

The Men’s Shelter of Charlotte operates two shelters, comprised of 405 beds. They provide the basic needs of shelter, meals, showers, laundry services, hygiene items, and access to a supportive staff. For more information or to schedule a volunteer effort visit their website at
https://www.mensshelterofcharlotte.org/

Common Wealth Charlotte

Dec 6, 2018

Common Wealth Charlotte is a local non-profit that provides financial literacy education and access to non-predatory financial services to Charlotte’s low-income families. Epic Capital has been a big fan and supporter of theirs over the past several years. Mid last year we partnered with them on a volunteer basis, serving monthly at their financial workshops.

Charlotte has approximately 150,000 residents working full time and making 30 to 35 percent of the area median income (AMI). As a partner to 36 local nonprofits and workforce development agencies, CWC’s goal is to assist in the achievement of financial independence through innovative financial education, asset-building strategies and access to non-predatory banking services and loans. CWC believes financial instability underpins every challenge faced by this population, including housing, transportation, education, employment security, debt management and access to healthcare. CWC’s mission to establish pathways to financial stability is integral to this population’s well-being, as well as to Charlotte’s community-wide initiative of increasing upward mobility for its underserved residents. To learn more about the incredible work they do or to help support their efforts, please visit www.commonwealthcharlotte.org.

CharMeck Adopt-a-Stream Clean

Oct 5, 2018

Another successful day supporting Char-Meck’s Adopt-a-Stream program with a volunteer effort across from the pond at Park Road Park in Charlotte. Advisors Ed Doughty and Jason Dimitriou spent the sunny morning picking up debris and waste (ok, garbage and litter) in and around our selected section LSTC1. We’ve really come to realize the waste created from plastic, and in most all cases, one-use plastic. Cup’s, bottles, plastic grocery bags, straws, take-out containers, etc. Did you know it takes about 400 years for some plastics to decompose? And some never do. Everyone at Epic Capital uses glassware or reusable personal water bottles for drinking water, and we serve our clients Brita-filtered water – not disposable plastic water bottles. A volunteer experience like this is eye-opening and we encourage everyone to give-it-a-go. It’s a worthy cause and stimulates an awareness for the senseless waste we create in our lives. If you’d like to get involved or learn more, click here: Adopt-a-Stream