News

Duke Endowment celebrates centennial in Western North Carolina

Crossnore Communities for Children CEO Brett Loftis attended the Duke Endowment centennial community celebration at the North Carolina Arboretum along with nearly 180 other guests.

By Lightning reports, Published: August 28, 2024

The Duke Endowment recently hosted a centennial community celebration at the North Carolina Arboretum to honor the work of local grantees and partners from across Western North Carolina.

The event Monday at the arboretum in Asheville featured speakers from the endowment and from Crossnore Communities for Children, one of North Carolina’s largest and most innovative child welfare and behavioral health organizations.
Crossnore CEO Brett Loftis told those gathered for the celebration that Crossnore would not be where it is now without the willingness of the endowment to invest in innovative ideas and take risks.
With support from the endowment, Crossnore built upon its trauma-focused model to establish The Center for Trauma Resilient in 2018. CTRC is a national model that supports individuals, organizations and communities as they recognize the often unspoken, long-term wounds of adversity and trauma. CTRC has trained nearly 10,000 people in 12 states to build trauma resilience. Gaining trauma resilience means people who are called to help can do so without being hurt in the process, according to a press release from the endowment.
Other speakers included Endowment President Rhett Mabry, Endowment Board Chair and Duke family descendent Charles C. Lucas III and Biltmore Farms President and CEO John F.A.V. Cecil, who is also an endowment trustee.
Cecil welcomed the nearly 180 guests gathered at the arboretum, applauded their work and thanked them for all they do in their communities while Lucas provided a history of the Duke family.
Mabry explained the endowment’s relevance for a modern world. “Our responsibility is not merely to manage assets, but to be stewards of a legacy built on the principles of enriching lives and strengthening communities,” the press release quoted Mabry as saying.
Guests also watched a video showcasing the Summer Literacy Initiative. The endowment began working through the initiative with rural congregations in North Carolina in 2012 to combat learning loss in their communities through evidence-informed summer literacy programs for rising first through third graders.
When industrialist and philanthropist James Buchanan Duke established The Duke Endowment on December 11, 1924, he committed through his Indenture of Trust, to nurture children, promote health, educate minds and enrich spirits in North Carolina and South Carolina. Since its inception, the Charlotte-based foundation has invested $4.8 billion across the Carolinas, with more than $249 million invested in Western North Carolina, according to the press release. Although the endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, all are separate organizations.
Throughout 2024, the endowment will hold centennial celebrations across the Carolinas to spotlight the impact of its grantee partners. To learn more, visit 100years.dukeendowment.org.