CoThinkk 8th Annual Awards
Embracing “This is Us!”
CoThinkk supporters and honorees recently came together to celebrate the amazing work and accomplishments of community leaders working across Western North Carolina.
This year’s presentation began with an intentional land acknowledgement that honored the Cherokee peoples, past and present, and then anchored deeply into CoThinkk’s 2023 theme, “Co-conspiratorship and Solidarity—This is Us!”
“This is Us! explicitly partnered with CoThinkk another in a way that centers this work in every aspect of our collective journey,” said Tracey Greene-Washington, CoThinkk founder and author of the recent leadership book Choosing Purposeful Alignment: The Messy Middle of Transformation, as she kicked off the event.
CoThinkk’s Leadership Awards were presented to Bettie Council, Shaunda Jackson, JéWana Grier-McEachin, Cholë Moore, and Thomas Priester. The Ally Awards were presented to Kathey Avery and Stephen Blount. Next Generation Leadership Awards were presented to Imani Bellamy, Julia Darity, and Trinity Barnwell-Thomas.
Additionally, the giving circle honored and rewarded 52 leaders in the form of grants, self-care stipends, and culturally anchored support through their partnership with the Coach Diversity Institute. These funds are given to organizations that accelerate systemic change and shift the narrative of communities of color in Asheville and WNC.
The winners include the following organizations:
- Read to Succeed
- YTL Training Programs
- Stella Stellar Network (Celebrating Stars)
- Solid Ground 59
- Southside United Neighborhood Association
- Museum of the Cherokee People
- Different Wrld
- Language Justice Lunch and Learn+ Funds for Solidarity interpretation
- The Incubators and Advocacy Navigators Non-Profit Corporation (IANC)
- Dare to Rise LLC
- HERS Outreach Community Program
- WNC AAPI
- Oye Collective
- West Asheville Advocacy/Community Project
- Amos Miller Place
- Rosa Walker Advancement Initiative
- Food Reparations Coordination
- Southside Community Farm
- GrandBlessings
- Asheville Community Care Network
- Major Moments Studio
- One Dozen Who Care
- Youthful HAND After School Program Expansion
- Sister Soul Sessions
- E.S.S.L (Early Screening Saves Lives)
- The Doula of Entrepreneurship
- Acupuncture Free Clinic of Asheville LLC
- Grahamtown Team
- Men of McDowell
- Uplift Access Garden Project
- Hola Carolina
- Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center
- OG Synergy Lifestyle and Culture
- Zen Minds Initiative
- African American Heritage Museum of Rutherford County
- Unidxs Western North Carolina
- Winnie’s Child Productions
- Discovering Stillness for LatinX
- Math & Reading Afterschool Program
- Yoruba Foundation
- DTK Fitness
- Beginner’s Mind PLLC
- Skills Academy for Women
- Leaders & Entrepreneurs for the Advancement and Promotion of Youth
- The Viewfinder
- Peculiar Persona
- Black in Appalachia Education and Support
- Centro Comunitario Hispano Americano
- Bridge Builders – Building Bridges of Asheville
- Aflorar Herb Collective
- Angel K Love Project
- A Place To Go
CoThinkk will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in 2024, when it will have the opportunity to celebrate the ripple of its collective work in partnership with the community.
To learn more about CoThinkk, visit cothinkk.org.
