Making a Difference

Malachi House II

A Cone Health Foundation grantee since 2002, and a faith-based residential treatment program for recovering male addicts.

Although an honor student and active in sports and church, 46-year-old Duane became a drug abuser at age 12. To support his habit, he graduated to selling drugs as a young man, resulting in a 12-year stretch in prison where he took advantage of all available self-help groups to lead a life free of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction.  He was released after serving 7.5 years.  He married, landed a great job, purchased a home and began living the American dream.

Although he remained drug and alcohol free, he never really addressed the issues underlying his substance abuse. Not addressing those issues landed him back on drugs.  His marriage ended and he lost everything, including hope.  His pastor referred him to Malachi House II, where he obtained the tools to bring about permanent change and hope for a better life.

Teens Taking Action

A peer-to-peer counseling program of Planned Parenthood, a Cone Health Foundation grantee since 2003.

After joining Teens Taking Action, Jade went from being a self-described rebellious lost soul to taking advanced placement classes and getting all A’s and B’s.

Teens Taking Action helped Jade focus on school and getting ready for college.  Through the program, she has improved her self-esteem, decision-making abilities, public speaking skills, and appreciation for diversity and inclusion.

Jade is now poised for further academic success as well as success in getting along with others. She plans to attend North Carolina Central University in the fall.

By age 17, Kristen had experienced a lot -- her mother was kidnapped, her parents split and her mother was the victim of domestic violence that kept them moving and starting over time and again. Kristen was socially withdrawn and apathetic about her future.

Teens Taking Action helped Kristen achieve stability, consistency and self-esteem. The program has given her a way to build her inner strength while escaping the pressures of life. “When my world is crashing up against me, I can go to a peer counseling meeting or speak at an event and suddenly what I am going through no longer is so bad,” she says. 

The program provides her with a stipend for purchasing school clothes and supplies. Equally important, the program provides her with the tools, strength and courage she needs to succeed. Kristen has been accepted at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Campbell University and East Carolina University, and will be attending East Carolina University in the fall.

Triad Health Project

A Cone Health Foundation grantee since 1999, serves the needs of HIV/AIDS patients.

After serving 25 years, Bill was released from prison with only enough medication to last a week. Thanks to Triad Health Project(THP), he was able to get his medication, find affordable housing, obtain Social Security benefits, get eyeglasses and even learn to use a cell phone.

“I would leave him important voice messages about appointments, but he didn’t know how to check his voice mail. He had never even answered a cell phone before he came to THP. Now he communicates regularly with me,” says THP Case Manager Tammi Mitchell. And, he is now getting the critical services he needs.

YWCA Teen Parent Mentor Program

A peer-to-peer counseling program of Planned Parenthood, a Cone Health Foundation grantee since 1997.

Pregnancy is the number one reason girls drop out of school.  About 70 percent of teenage girls who give birth leave school.  More than any other group of high school dropouts, girls who leave due to pregnancy report they would have stayed in school, if they had received greater support from the adults at school.  But not Satonya.  She was determined not to be a statistic.  When she became pregnant in 2012 at age16, she sought help from the YWCA to connect with a mentor and to attend childbirth education classes.

Thanks to the Teen Parent Mentor Program, a comprehensive system of support that includes prenatal health and fitness, family literacy programming, advocacy in the schools and ongoing peer group support at the YWCA, Satonya will graduate from high school and has been accepted at North Carolina A & T State University to study art education. The program gave Satonya a helping hand when she needed one and helped her be a good mother while continuing to pursue her academic goals.

HealthServe, a service of Triad Adult & Pediatric Medicine

A health clinic for the uninsured and underinsured, and a Cone Health Foundation grantee since 1998.

Chelsea has several significant full-time responsibilities that she is simultaneously juggling – working, studying nursing at Greensboro Technical Community College and caring for her mother, who has terminal lung cancer. In addition, she has several chronic health problems – recurring sinus infections, recurring urinary tract infections, allergies and diabetes. Chelsea is uninsured and, at one time, had accumulated thousands of dollars in medical bills that she was unable to pay.

After being referred by the Department of Social Services, Chelsea has been a patient at HealthServe - a service of Triad Adult and Pediatric Medicine - for the past four years.  Without HealthServe, she would still be going to the Emergency Department for her primary care and running up huge bills that she is unable to pay.  Thanks to HealthServe, she is getting the primary care and necessary medication to which she otherwise would not have access.