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Brunch & Belonging

💚 What a wonderful Brunch & Belonging! Our hearts are full of gratitude for everyone who joined us on Saturday, Oct. 17 to celebrate the power of stories, friendship, and belonging! From delicious food and meaningful conversations to moving stories and beautiful music, it was a morning that reminded us why community matters. Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, and helped make our 3rd Annual Brunch & Belonging such a special gathering! A HUGE thank you to our generous sponsors whose support made this event possible! 💚 Champion Level Sponsor Thomas Kortus / Nest Realty @thomas.kortus.realtor 💚 Transformer Level Sponsor TowneBank @TowneBanksocial 💚 Advocate Level Sponsors Harper Insurance @harper.insure Alliance Health @alliancehealthnc Jasper Mortgage Group @mortgagetipswithjas Crafted Construction @crafted.build A special thank you to our incredible storytellers, Hope Wilder @Hope.Wilder.nc, Karen DiSaia, Colin Ryan @ColinRyanSpeaks, and Mary Wrein, for sharing stories that made us laugh, reflect, and think more deeply about what it means to belong. Thank you to our wonderful emcees, Stephanie Forbes and Raghav, for guiding us through the morning with warmth and joy, and to Andrea With @larchebuffalo for sharing her beautiful musical talents! And many thanks to @Lisanalven for her wonderful photographs, Christ the King @ctkcary for their beautiful space and extraordinary staff, Amber and Simply Crepes @simplycrepes.northraleigh for the plentiful and scrumptious buffet, and Monuts @monutsdonuts for the donuts! Most of all, thank you for believing in L’Arche North Carolina and helping us build a world where people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities can live, grow, and belong together. We couldn’t do this without you. Here’s to more stories, more friendships, and more belonging! 💚

A surprise worth delivering! 🎉 Sandy Demeree is our 2026 Spirit of Belonging Award recipient! But before we could announce her name at Brunch & Belonging, she slipped out to attend another gathering—off creating more belonging! We delivered her award at home that afternoon, and she was completely surprised. Sandy had been encouraging neighbors to nominate someone else, unaware they were nominating her! 💛 Sandy joins previous recipients Warrie Evans, III (2024) and Rofida Bakheet (2025). Read the full story and discover why Sandy is so deserving: https://larchenc.org/2026-spirit-of-belonging-award-sandy-demeree #LArcheNC #SpiritOfBelonging #Belonging #NorthStreetCommunity

Just TWO DAYS until Brunch & Belonging! We’re getting ready for a morning of delicious crepes, mimosas, wonderful stories, and the kind of connections that remind us why belonging matters. Come hungry, bring a friend, and leave with a story (or two!) to carry with you. There’s still time to join us! Saturday, October 17 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 Christ the King, Cary 🎟️ Tickets available through the link in our bio or at https://givebutter.com/2026brunchandbelonging #BrunchAndBelonging #LArcheNC

Just 3 days until Brunch & Belonging! Good food. Great company. Stories worth sharing. This Saturday, we’re gathering around the table to celebrate the stories that connect us, the friendships that sustain us, and the simple joy of belonging. Join us for delicious crepes from Simply Crepes, signature mimosas, inspiring storytellers, and a morning that reminds us why community matters. There’s still time to get your tickets! We’d love to save you a seat at the table. Saturday, October 17 | 10:30 AM–12:30 PM. Christ the King, Cary 🎟️ Tickets available through the link in our bio or at https://givebutter.com/2026brunchandbelonging #BrunchAndBelonging #LArcheNC #EverybodyBelongs

A big thank you to Crafted Construction (@crafted.build) for their Advocate Level sponsorship of Brunch & Belonging! Building a community where everyone belongs takes people and businesses who believe in the importance of connection, friendship, and inclusion. We’re grateful to Crafted Construction for helping us bring people together, share stories, and support the mission of L’Arche North Carolina. Thank you for being part of our story! Tickets are still available at the link in our bio or at https://givebutter.com/2026brunchandbelonging #BrunchAndBelonging #LArcheNC #EverybodyBelongs #CommunitySupport #CraftedConstruction

A big thank you to Jasper Mortgage Group for joining us as an Advocate Sponsor of Brunch & Belonging! We’re grateful to @mortgagetipswithjasper for supporting L’Arche North Carolina and helping us build a community where people of all abilities are welcomed, valued, and celebrated. Thank you for believing in the power of belonging! Tickets are still available at the link in our bio or at https://givebutter.com/2026brunchandbelonging #BrunchAndBelonging #LArcheNC #EveryStoryMatters #CommunityOfBelonging

What does it mean to belong to yourself? At Brunch & Belonging, Colin Ryan will share his experience of seeking therapy for nearly debilitating depression and anxiety — a reminder that disabilities aren’t always visible. He spoke to a stranger about things he had never shared and found acceptance. Over time, that acceptance helped him learn to offer himself the same kindness. His story invites us to consider the connection between disability, being accepted by others, and learning to belong to ourselves. Join us October 17 for this story and others that invite us to think about belonging in a new way. Tickets: https://givebutter.com/2026brunchandbelonging · Instagram: link in bio

Brunch & Belonging is less than TWO WEEKS away! And yes… these crepes are on the menu. 😍 Join us for delicious crepes from Simply Crepes, signature mimosas, a silent auction, and a Story Slam filled with stories of friendship, community, and belonging. Come hungry. Come ready to laugh, connect, and be moved. Most of all, come help create a community where everyone belongs. 🎟️ Get your tickets today—we can’t wait to see you there! https://givebutter.com/2026brunchandbelonging

Thank you, @harper.insure, for being a Transformer Sponsor of Brunch & Belonging! Your generosity helps support the everyday life of L’Arche North Carolina — friendships, shared meals, and homes where people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities belong together. We’re grateful to have you alongside us as we gather on October 17 to celebrate the stories that connect us. We’re so glad to have y’all at the table with us!

Raghav has an invitation for you! Our Brunch & Belonging Co-Emcee is ready to welcome you for a morning of good food, stories, and friendship. Join us on October 17 to hear stories from the L’Arche community and help support the everyday life and relationships behind them. We’d love to have you at the table! Get your tickets at the link in bio!

What happens when we make the time to really listen to one another? At Brunch & Belonging, we’ll gather around stories that invite us to see the world through someone else’s eyes —and perhaps think a little differently about connection, communication, and belonging. Join us October 17 for handmade crepes, signature mimosas, a silent auction, and a morning of stories that stay with you long after brunch is over. Tickets are available now — link in bio. #BrunchAndBelonging #EveryStoryMatters #LArcheNC #belonging

A big thank you to @alliancehealthnc for joining us as an Advocate Sponsor of Brunch & Belonging! Support from our sponsors helps make this morning of storytelling, connection, and community possible — and helps sustain L’Arche North Carolina’s work throughout the year. We’re grateful to @alliancehealthnc for investing in a community where people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities can build relationships, share life, and belong. Join us October 17 for Brunch & Belonging! Tickets are available now — link in bio. #BrunchAndBelonging #LArcheNC #EveryStoryMatters #belonging

We’re taking the $2 for 2 Challenge — and we hope you’ll join us! L’Arche North Carolina is working to purchase TWO more homes where adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities can share life, build friendships, and experience a true sense of belonging. We’re asking our friends to give just $2 (or more!) to help make these two homes possible — and then share the challenge with two friends. And right now, every gift goes even further: donations are being MATCHED dollar for dollar, up to $50,000, through August 16! Give $2. Invite 2 friends. Help make 2 homes possible. Give through Venmo: @LarcheNC Or online: https://givebutter.com/LNCforward Every gift, no matter the size, helps L’Arche NC move one step closer to opening the doors to more people who deserve a place to call home and a community where they truly belong. Thanks for joining us to help create more inclusive communities! — Emily & Daniel

Today we celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark piece of legislation that helped open doors to greater access, opportunity, and inclusion. Yesterday, our L’Arche North Carolina community had a wonderful time celebrating Disability Pride at Duke Memorial UMC alongside so many friends, neighbors, and advocates. We are grateful for everyone who came together to honor the gifts, dignity, and leadership of people with disabilities. At L’Arche, we know accessibility is essential, but our vision goes even further. We believe every person deserves not only access, but also belonging. Together, we’re helping build communities where people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities share life, friendship, and purpose. Happy ADA Anniversary! Here’s to continuing the work of creating communities where everyone is welcomed, valued, and can flourish. 💙♿️

We crossed a major milestone—and we’re still in awe of what this community has made possible. 💛 In just ten months, the L’Arche community has helped raise more than $575,000 toward our $1.5 million Forward in Friendship campaign. And now, L’Arche North Carolina is officially the owner of the Friendship Houses. 🏡🏡 These homes have a beautiful history of bringing people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities together. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to carry that legacy forward—and to create a future here where friendship is formed, people are known and valued, and belonging is abundant. On Sunday, we gathered at the Friendship Houses with neighbors, families, friends, and supporters to celebrate just how far we’ve come. And this milestone is also the beginning of our next chapter. Over the coming year, we are raising the funds to fully pay off the homes by next August and complete significant renovations to make them safer, more accessible, and truly welcoming places to call home. Our hope is simple but big: that the people who move into these homes will know they are not just moving into housing. They are coming home—to a place designed for friendship, community, and a future together. To everyone who has given, shared our story, volunteered, encouraged us, or believed in this dream: thank you. Look what we are creating together. And we’re not finished yet. We hope you’ll keep journeying with us as the Friendship Houses become home. 💛 A special thank you to @lisanalven for capturing these gorgeous photos of Sunday’s celebration.

🎉 Tatum is kicking off our $2 for 2 Houses Challenge! At L’Arche North Carolina, we believe everyone deserves a place to belong. That’s why we’re inviting you to join us in purchasing the Friendship Houses and continue the legacy of homes where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are known, valued, and belong. Here’s how to join: 🎥 Record a short video sharing why belonging matters to you. 💜 Give $2 or more for 2 Houses via Venmo (larchenc) or larchenc.org 📲 Post your video, tag L’Arche North Carolina, and invite 2 friends to record their own video and keep the challenge going. Whether you give $2, $20, $200, or more, every gift brings us one step closer to welcoming future Core Members home. If you believe in disability inclusion, authentic community, and creating places where everyone belongs, we’d be honored to have you join us. Together, we can continue the legacy of the Friendship Houses, one video, one gift, and one act of generosity at a time.

We had the delightful opportunity to host the Executive Director from L’Arche Jacksonville and her fam this past weekend. Did you know there was a L’Arche community in Florida? This community has three homes and a community day center called the Rainbow Room. We attended @dukememorial on Sunday morning and had some popsicles on lawn with congregational members. We have been learning and growing from our southern neighbors since our first L’Arche meeting. We are grateful for be in partnership as members of the @larcheusa federation. Thanks for visiting Amy! Come back anytime!!

Lights! Cameras! Action! 🎥 …and, that’s a wrap! This week, we were honored to be part of the Sacred Stories project from @everablefilms. This is a multiyear project funded by the Lilly Foundation, and this summer this film crew is visiting L’Arche communities around the U.S. to capture stories around sacredness, spirituality, and disabilities. It was a packed couple of days! These photos do not capture all the interviews and b roll locations that this crew captured in the short time they were here. Thank you Michael, Josh, Zach, Jane, Paolo, and Warren for taking the time to visit, listen, and be with us in community. We are beyond grateful for your presence and the many gifts you shared with us. Also, shout out to @smclem1129 for visiting from @larcheusa! It was such a special time for us to have you here — we just wish you could have stayed longer! Come back to 🐂 city anytime… and we can’t wait until 2028 to see the full feature film y’all create together!

There’s no age limit on belonging—or boogieing! 🕺🎶💃 We had our boogie shoes on at Jam Together for a joyful multigenerational gathering! Friends of all ages came together to sing, play instruments, move to the music, and simply enjoy being together. This is what we love about L’Arche: people across generations and abilities finding connection, friendship, and joy together. 💚

At the Sip, See, and Support last Sunday, we invited guests to sign a door with a blessing or encouragement for the next season of the Friendship Houses. It was beautiful to not only gather together to celebrate, but to say a prayer over the major renovations that will take place to make these two homes more accessible, safer, and welcoming. If you missed the event and would like to tour the homes, send us a DM, we’d love to show you around and have you write or draw a blessing. Near or far, add your blessing, prayer, or positive thought in the comments as we start a new chapter of the Friendship Houses in Durham. If you aren’t able to visit the homes, we will write it on the door for you 💙🙏🏡

We are SO CLOSE to unlocking the full $50,000 match! 🎉 Your generosity has absolutely blown us away. Every gift is bringing us closer to making the Friendship Houses part of L’Arche NC and continuing their beautiful legacy of community and belonging. Today is the final day of the match! If you’ve been thinking about giving, now is the time. Every dollar you give helps unlock even more support to create homes where adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities can share life together. 💛 Give today and help us unlock the full $50K! givebutter.com/LNCforward Venmo: @LArcheNC Together, we’re creating more community. More belonging. More L’Arche.

With Giving Tuesday right around the corner, we are asking that you consider us for your giving!! With the recent Medicaid funding cuts, we are losing $35,000 in funding over the next year and we are asking that you help us fill that funding gap this Giving Tuesday! By helping us fill that funding gap, you are helping us keep all our events free and accessible to all, and keep our home, where folks with and without disabilities live together in community, running smoothly. #belonging #community #givingtuesday

WE DID IT!!! 🎉💛 You helped us unlock the full $50,000 match — and then you kept going! In just 10 days, you gave $54,177 (and more donations keep coming in!!), which means an incredible $104,177 is going toward the Friendship Houses! We are blown away by your generosity. You gave $2, $20, $200, and so much more. You shared our posts, sent videos to friends, and invited your communities to be part of this dream. And while the match is complete, the $2 for Two challenge keeps going! We still have a big goal ahead as we work to fully pay off the $1million purchase price, renovate, and open these two homes. Give $2 for 2 Houses. Share with two friends. Help us keep building a community where adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities can belong, share life, and build lasting friendships. 💛 givebutter.com/LNCforward Venmo: @LArcheNC Thank you for believing in more homes, more friendship, and more belonging.

A big thank you to Thomas and Julie Kortus @nestrealty.com/thomaskortus for once again showing up for L’Arche North Carolina — this time as a Champion Sponsor of Brunch & Belonging! 💚 Thomas and Julie have been a generous supporters of our community, and we’re so grateful to have friends like them who believe in what we’re building together. Thank you, Thomas and Julie, for helping us create more opportunities for friendship, connection, and belonging. We can’t wait to celebrate with you on October 17! 🥂 #BrunchAndBelonging #LArcheNC #EveryStoryMatters #Community #Belonging

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A big thank you to Thomas and Julie Kortus @nestrealty.com/thomaskortus for once again showing up for L’Arche North Carolina — this time as a Champion Sponsor of Brunch & Belonging!