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What's Good?

How has your bracket held up so far? Have any of your picks surprised you with an upset win, or have you been on the winning side of a nail-biting finish?

My bracket was:

perfect!

an epic fail!

full of suprises!

..wait, what's a bracket again?

Also Good!

We are hiring for two positions: Employment Navigator and Care Navigator

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Stat of the week

-$2

As we wrap up Women's History Month, this statistic reminds us how much work our great nation has done for gender work equality, but we still have a way to go. According to research from the US Dept of Labor, on average, women lose two dollars weekly from the 25-54 age bracket to the next bracket of 55-64, while men continue to incline. Read more from this study here.

This month we celebrate the accomplishments women have made in the military for our country during Women's History Month.

Events & Highlights

Upcoming Events

Charlotte & Metrolina

Heist Brewery Run Club (HBRC) March 27 | Heist Brewery - NoDa Charlotte, NC 28205 | 6:30 - 8:30PM | Cost: Various | More Info

Wednesday Workout (CLT) | Wednesday, March 29 | Veterans Memorial Park 2400 McClintock Road Charlotte, NC 28205 | 6:00 - 6:45AM Cost: Free | Register

Thompson Park Clean Up & Vietnam Veterans Day Remembrance Clean Up (CLT) | Wednesday, March 29 | Thompson Park 1226 East 3rd Street Charlotte, NC 28204 | 8:00 - 11:00AM | Register

Veteran Coffee (Ft. Mill) | Wednesday March 29 | Cabelas 1000 Cabelas Drive, Fort Mill, SC 29708 | 9:00AM -10:00AM | Register

NAMI Homefront Program| Mondays beginning on April 3 | Richards Coffee Shop 165 North Main Street Mooresville NC | 6:00AM -8:00PM | Free | Registration required through email with subject line Homefront Registration and names and phone numbers of all attending.

Ballantyne Breakfast | Wednesday, April 5 | Another Broken Egg Cafe

11324 N. Community House Road

Charlotte, NC 28277 | 7:30 - 8:30AM | Register

Freedom Park Clean Up (CLT) | Thursday April 6 | Freedom Park

1908 East Boulevard

Charlotte, NC 28203 | 9:00AM - 12:00PM | Register

Triad

Veterans Night (Gboro) | Wednesday March 29 | 5:30 - 8:30pm | Forgotten Road Ales 303K Pisgah Church Rd Greensboro, NC 27455 | More Info

Veterans Night (Graham) | Thursday April 13 | 6- 8:00pm | Forgotten Road Ales 141 E. Harden Street Graham, NC 27253 | More Info

Sandhills

Vietnam War Veterans Day | Wednesday, March 29 600 Ames Street Fayetteville, NC 28301 | 10AM | Register via E-mail

Hiking & Socializing (Southern Pines) | Wednesday, March 29 | Weymouth Woods 555 East Connecticut Ave. Southern Pines, NC 28388 | 11:00AM - 12:30PM | Register

Veterans Coffee (Fayetteville) | Tuesday, April 11 | Gaston Brewing Tap Room 421 Chicago Drive Fayetteville, NC 28306| 9:00 - 10:30AM | Register

Community Blue Print (Fayetteville) | Tuesday, April 12 |Partnership for Children in the Charles Morris 351 Wagoner Dr. Room on the 2nd Floor Fayetteville, NC 28303 11:30AM - 1:00PM | More Info

Triangle

Scotland County Veterans Stand Down | Friday March 31 | 9:00am - 2:00pm | Clint V Willis National Guard Armory 1520 S.Main St. Laurinburg, NC 28352 | Register: Email: Michael McNey or Adam Peele.

Virtual

Financial Wellness Seminar | Every 3rd Thursday, 4PM | Register :E-mail

Code 0157568 |

News

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VA Secretary Swats Down Idea to Cut VA Disability Pay for Wealthier Vets

(WCNC Charlotte)

This year's list, first published Dec. 7, addressed VA disability compensation, which CBO analysts said has increased substantially faster than inflation, in total spending and per veteran.

According to the CBO, the VA paid four times the amount in disability compensation in 2021, $110 billion, than it paid in 2000, adjusting for inflation, even as the number of vets in the U.S. had dropped by more than 30%

Read more. (If you or a Veteran you know could use assistance obtaining VA benefits, we can help! Click here to contact us today.)

The fallout of the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate (Military Times)

This year's list, first published Dec. 7, addressed VA disability compensation, which CBO analysts said has increased substantially faster than inflation, in total spending and per veteran.

Which college majors are student veterans pursuing and why?(Military Times)

Warrant Officer Randall Johnson had enjoyed his military career; but now, he had other concerns on his mind. At 39 years old, with two kids, a wife, and a dog, he knew that unless he returned to the civilian world and tried to make more money, he was not going to provide for his family the kind of lifestyle he had always dreamed of giving them.

Johnson had entered the military at 18. He wanted to achieve something no one else in his family had been able to obtain: a college degree.

Dale F. Halton: "Her Legacy Will Last Forever"

(Queen City News)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Dale F. Halton, a prominent Charlotte businesswoman and philanthropist whose name graces prominent buildings at UNC Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College, died Tuesday at age 85.

Born Barksdale Fowler Halton, the former CEO of Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company served UNCC in many ways, the university says. Her friendship with Director of Athletics Emerita Judy Rose ignited what became for Halton a lifelong interest in supporting UNCC’s academics, administration and athletics.

This is how much you need to earn to live comfortably in Charlotte, study says (Charlotte Observer)

The U.S. is dealing with the worst bout of inflation in four decades, making it difficult to live in the largest cities — including Charlotte. But a new study detailed that the area is one of the cities that requires one of the lowest annual salaries to live comfortably. According to SmartAsset, the average living expenses in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area add up to $31,055 per year. A single person can live comfortably making $62,110 in comparison, placing Charlotte No. 21 in the country.