Ninth Annual First Ward Holiday Party
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The ninth annual First Ward Holiday Party was held on Wednesday, December 19, 2007. Approximately one-hundred-twenty-five guests - mostly children - attended this event. Santa stopped in to visit with the children while attendees mixed and mingled and enjoyed a fabulous buffet. Each child who visited with Santa received several gifts courtesy of the Charlotte Bobcats, National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Children had the opportunity to play games and enjoy crafts while the adults got better acquainted with their community police officers. Officer Simpson said the event was successful on many levels but noted that the many smiles were the true sign of a job well done. The evening was special thanks to generous support from the Charlotte Bobcats, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Fuel Pizza, Reid’s Fine Foods, Charlotte Center City Partners and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Myers Park High School Open House
October 15, 2007
An Open House was held in the Make-a-Difference Center at First Ward Place Apartments. This event was well attended by parents and teachers and was seen a huge success. Traditional Open Houses were not being attended at the school, so the school "took the show on the road" and came to the neighborhood. Mr. Carlos Grant, an assistant principal at Myers Park, said "based on our data, we had 40% of the Myers Park families in that community present.  We received some valuable feedback and commitments from the parents. This is the first step in a long term commitment to connect Myers Park to the community. " The open house was a coordinated effort with the faculty of Myers Park HS, CHA case managers, First Ward Place Apartments and the First Ward Community Fund. Snacks were served and prizes were raffled but most importantly, valuable information was exchanged between parents, students and faculty. Additionally, a representative of the CHA College Scholarship Program was on hand to answer questions.


Tiffani Johnson's Fifth Annual On Point Basketball Camp
August 25 & 26, 2007
Approximately seventy-five young men and women participated in this year's camp which was held at the First Ward Recreation Center. The camp was run by Tiffani, a four time WNBA champion, and a host of other professional, college and high school players. The youngsters in attendance worked on ball handling, shooting, rebounding, passing and free throws. Additionally, each day included sessions on offensive and defensive strategy. Proceeds from the camp go to support the Tiffani Johnson Foundation scholarship Fund. In addition to financial support, the First Ward Community Fund donated twenty new basketballs for use during the camp. Theses balls were retained by the recreation center for use by neighborhood children throughout the year.


National Night Out
August 7, 2007
National Night Out is an annual, country-wide event where communities and police departments team up to have fun and promote safety. This year the FWCF, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, First Ward Recreation Center, and First Ward Place Apartments joined forces for a huge neighborhood celebration. We utilize this event to foster positive relationships between neighborhood children and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. Once again, Steve Story and Center City Properties sponsored this year's "Party with the Police." Local leaders including Mayor Pat McCrory; Councilmembers John Lassiter, James Mitchell, Anthony Foxx, & Susan Burgess along with Chief Darrel Stephens, came out to support the Police Department and the neighborhood. More than 200 neighborhood residents attended--most of them children who competed in games for dozens of prizes. Five young volunteers were rewarded for their service with pairs of tickets to the Charlotte Bobcats. Additional, fifteen children received scholarships to the Tiffani Johnson Foundation Basket ball camp.


First Ward and the Bobcats
April 18, 2007
The Bobcats' season ended with a 94 to 93 loss to the New York Nicks. While the outcome of this game was disappointing the first year of First Ward and the Bobcats was a huge success. Thanks to Deborah Cox, of RE/MAX Executive Realty, who donated a pair of season tickets and the Charlotte Bobcats, who donated many tickets throughout the season, more than one-hundred and twenty residents were able to attend a game. These tickets were awarded to children who excelled in school or who did volunteer work. Also, parents who were successful in the Charlotte Housing Authority's Family Self Sufficiency Program were rewarded for their hard work.