Wildlife and nature

Animal shelters and rescues

Theater and dance

Rivers, parks and trails

Hunger and food

Schools and learning

Housing and homelessness

Community health

Mental health

Mentoring and foster care

Legal help and rights

Jobs and money help

Atlanta

The Triangle

Everywhere

The Collective Workshop

Royal Animal Refuge

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Georgia Advancing Communities Together

Atlanta Writers Club

Cobb Collaborative

Bosleys Place

Jewish Fertility Foundation

Cashmere Bentley

Meg Olhasque

LARHONDA LESLIE

CARY CAIN

PAULINE ROBINSON

CLINT MCSHERRY

KEVIN MORIN-KENSICKI

BILL DEFULVIO

NAKEETA THARPE

Samantha Alexander

Chonna Campbell

Citlalli Alaniz

Programs

Events

About

Grateful

We’re proud to recognize Susan and Michael Hershfield as the first Gold Sponsors of StepUp Durham’s 2026 Ready. Set. RISE! Fall Campaign. Susan and Michael have been longtime supporters of StepUp Durham and an important part of the stability that allows us to keep showing up for job seekers and families across our community. Their generosity has strengthened our foundation, supported our growth, and give us the confidence to keep building for the future. Their continued belief in our mission means more than we can say. We’re deeply grateful for their partnership, their encouragement, and the steady support they have provided over time. Thank you, Susan and Michael, for once again standing with StepUp Durham.

A big thank you to HUBZone Technology Initiative (HTI) for donating laptops to Step Up Durham! 💻 Your generosity helps us continue our work in the Durham community and expands access to the technology needed to learn, work, and thrive. We’re grateful for this partnership and for HTI’s commitment to bridging the digital divide. Thank you for helping us create more opportunities for our community! @hubzonetech

Grateful to Rabbi Greyber and Beth El Synagogue, StepUp Durham’s first Ready, Set, RISE! Fall Campaign sponsor! 💙 Thank you for leading the way and for your continued support of our work and the people we serve. Your partnership helps create opportunity and brighter futures across Durham. Ready to RISE with us? Join Beth El as a Fall Campaign sponsor! Reach out to meg@stepupdurham.org to learn more. @betheldurham #ReadySetRISE #StepUpDurham #DurhamNC

We’re incredibly grateful for the community partners who help turn ideas into opportunity—and we’re especially excited to introduce The Doorway Project. 💙 Created through a collaboration between an incredible team from the @dukeuniversity Code+ program and StepUp Durham, The Doorway Project is a simple, accessible digital bridge to jobs, resources, support, and hope for Durham residents navigating reentry, unemployment, housing instability, or other challenging seasons. Designed with real-life barriers in mind—from limited technology experience to older smartphones and limited internet access—it helps make opportunity easier to find, right from your phone. Because sometimes opening the right door can change what comes next. We’re so grateful to Duke Code+ for helping us build it—and we can’t wait to share more.

Our Back-to-School Block Party was a wonderful reminder of the power of community! Families came together to connect, have fun, access resources, and celebrate our children as they head into a new school year. We were also excited to help students start the year prepared with backpacks and school supplies. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, and helped make the day possible. We’re especially grateful to our community partners @ibm, @legalaidnc @bikedurham, and @bridgespointenc and to Keith Bullard with USSW @raiseupthesouth for donating 150 backpacks filled with school supplies for our community. A special shoutout also goes to StepUp Durham participant Jamie Leacock of True Colors by JBird for bringing even more joy to the day with face painting! It truly takes a village, and we’re grateful for ours. Thank you for making this year’s Back-to-School Block Party one to remember! 💙

A big thank you to @ibm for making an impact! 💙 During IBM Impact Day, volunteers created digital STEM flashcards, personalized pencil cases, and filled 50 backpacks with supplies for families attending our Back-to-School Block Party. We’re also grateful for the opportunity to share StepUp Durham’s mission with the IBM team. Thank you to everyone who gave their time and talents to support our families. Stay tuned for photos and a recap from the Block Party!

StepUp Durham was grateful to be part of the recent ReEntry Community Resource Fair at The Village in East Durham, hosted by the @cityofdurhamnc’s Welcome Home reentry program. 💙 It was a great day of connection, community partnerships and expanding access to resources for our neighbors returning home. Thank you to everyone who made it possible!

A heartfelt thank you to @lakewood_social for choosing StepUp Durham as your July Nonprofit Partner of the Month, and to every guest who dined with purpose on Tuesdays throughout July. Together, you helped raise $1,779.69 to support Durham job seekers as they build sustainable careers and brighter futures. We’re so grateful for this incredible partnership and for a community that shows up to make a difference. 💙

What a great surprise to see our Step2 Coordinator and Volunteer Co-Coordinator, Nakeeta Tharpe, featured by Deborah at @recitynetwork! Our Step2 participants are in great hands. Nakeeta is a caring, encouraging leader who is passionate about helping others reach their full potential. She consistently creates meaningful opportunities for growth, including organizing incredible trainings and experiences like this summer’s Life Skills class with Tony Cozart from the Cozart Xperience. Nakeeta is a true changemaker in our community, and we’re so glad to see her and the work she does highlighted. We’re grateful for the heart and dedication she brings to Step2 every day. Check out the full feature here or find it in our stories/ highlights! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/X95Jy0M49F4

Happy National Intern Day to our incredible intern, Citlalli! 💙 We’re so grateful for everything she brings to the StepUp Durham team. Citlalli joined StepUp through her interest in workforce development and community-based economic policy, and she loves getting to know our participants, supporting workshops, and seeing careers take shape. Outside of StepUp, she enjoys exploring Durham’s restaurants and cafés, reading outside, traveling, trying new foods, and finding new ways to connect with the community. Thank you, Citlalli, for your hard work, positivity, and the impact you’ve made. We’re so glad you’re part of the StepUp family! 📸 Gillian Ward

We’re excited to welcome Tony L Cozart of The Cozart Xperience as the facilitator for our Summer Life Skills Class for Step2 participants! Tony’s wealth of experience, dynamic leadership, and proven blueprint for success will be an invaluable part of helping our participants build the skills, confidence, and mindset needed to achieve employment, long-term stability, and personal growth. We’re grateful to have him investing in the future of our participants and helping them take the next steps toward success. @tony_l_cozart #StepUpDurham #Step2 #LifeSkills #WorkforceDevelopment #CommunityImpact

Have you met Meg? 💙 Over the past several months, Meg has stepped into the role of Acting Development Director, helping keep everything moving behind the scenes—from grants and donor relationships to funder partnerships and all the many pieces that make development work possible. We’re incredibly grateful for her dedication, steady leadership, and unwavering support of StepUp Durham. When StepUp Durham was featured as Nonprofit of the Week by The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center last year, Meg shared that she was immediately drawn to the organization because of its radical inclusivity. She explained: “Justice involvement, gaps in work history, disability, housing instability—none of those things disqualify you here… when someone expresses a desire to move forward, the answer is simply, ‘Yes, we will walk with you.’” We couldn’t think of a better way to describe the heart of StepUp Durham. Thank you, Meg, for all you do and for helping make our mission possible every day. 💙

Behind every success story is someone willing to invest their time, encouragement, and expertise. 💙 We’re grateful for volunteers like Carroll, whose dedication to helping job seekers build confidence and prepare for meaningful careers makes a lasting impact on our community. Interested in making a difference? Whether you have an hour to give or specialized skills to share, we’d love to have you join our volunteer team. Learn more and get involved! www.stepupdurham.org/volunteer #StepUpWithUs #VolunteerOpportunity #grateful #CommunityLove #CareerResources

Still reflecting on the incredible energy from @walltownchildrenstheatre at our IMPACT26 event last month. Grateful for the way our Durham community continues to show up — celebrating young talent, uplifting local organizations, and creating spaces where connection and community truly shine. Proud to see so many impactful partners visible, engaged, and building together for Durham. 🩷🧡💜💙💛

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