New Horizons Downtown has given $7,500 to the Chatham Education Foundation (CEF). Catherine McLeod, store owner, said the impetus for the gift came because she had been wanting to turn her attention to supporting a few organizations financially and CEF board member Howard Fifer had been in the right place at the right time.
“I don’t happen to be in the store often,” McLeod said, “But I was the day Howard Fifer came in to solicit support for the Chatham Education Foundation.”
What piqued McLeod’s interest that day was AVID, as she knew some students that benefited from the program. AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a nationally recognized and proven college and career readiness system that is also a core program for which CEF raises funds. AVID is available as an elective at all four of Chatham County Schools’ high schools as well as at all the middle schools. Students in the program learn organizational skills, focused note-taking, and how to collaborate. They also visit colleges and get help with the college application process.
“One of the students I knew in the program has graduated from college and the other is at NC State,” McLeod said. “Knowing how much the program meant to them made giving to the foundation a no brainer.”
McLeod said of all the topics she supports, education is her number one. “Education to me is huge,” she said. “It is the one thing that allows people equal access – a chance in life.”
The Chatham Education Foundation wholeheartedly agrees and is grateful to New Horizons Downtown for their support. We hope you’ll check out the store in downtown Pittsboro, as well as visit Chatham Outfitters, located on West Street in Pittsboro and also owned by McLeod