Sharing Insights

The John Rex Endowment has the privilege of supporting organizations who join with us to create an environment where children and families in greater Wake County live healthy lives.  In our pursuit, we pride ourselves on being a learning organization — one that constantly strives to improve based on insights gained from all experiences. In this section we provide grant project updates, stories reflecting what we and our grantees are learning, plus reports and resources on child health.


Critical Conversation Series: Chaos Over Community, June 5

The Triangle Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee hosted "Critical Conversations Series: Chaos over Community: Where Do We Go From Here?" on Friday, June 5, 2020. The 60-minute Facebook Live program engaged diverse leaders representing community, nonprofit organizations, and local funders. John Rex Endowment president and CEO Kellan Moore joined panelists in the discussion on justice and change.  During the program Moore shared thoughts about the philanthropic sector's role to move change forward, stating that silence is complicity - which is not acceptable.

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What We're Learning: Nonprofits' Early Response to COVID-19

Gladys Hairston, Program Officer with John Rex Endowment, has a unique “seat at the table” with grantees and community leaders as a matter of course. With the advent of the COVID-19 challenges, she has become a “virtual” listener and observer, bringing back important information to the Endowment about how nonprofits are coping.  Recently we spoke with her about the lessons she’s learning and observations she’s making.

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Arts Access Encourages Meaningful Engagement for Children with Disabilities

Arts Access, the Wake County nonprofit founded in 1982 to make the arts accessible to people with disabilities, recently received a three-year grant from the John Rex Endowment to continue the work of their pilot project entitled Wake Arts Inclusion Project (WAIP). Educators and community leaders agree that the arts are good for kids’ mental and socio-emotional well-being, helping them develop their identities, build self-esteem and form relationships. However, studies show that kids with disabilities aren’t meaningfully included in arts opportunities at the same rate as their peers without disabilities, in both school and out-of-school time settings.

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Youth Thrive Works Collaboratively on Youth Issues

Wake County’s Youth Thrive, a John Rex Endowment grantee, is a successful collaborative that amplifies the reach of resources available to youth by increasing communication, identifying gaps and aligning resources for youth programs and services. The collaboration is comprised of a broad array of more than 40 organizations and professionals serving youth ages 5-18 in Wake County including the school system, afterschool providers, government, health and human services, juvenile justice, law enforcement, faith-based organizations, business and behavioral health.

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Partners Share Thoughts about Delivering Community Services

In October 2018, we released our Strategic Roadmap setting the stage for how the John Rex Endowment will meet the challenges facing Wake County children and their families. Following the announcement, we invited community partners to join our staff for one of three “Coffee and Conversation” sessions for the opportunity to discuss and ask questions about the Roadmap. The sessions brought together 36 people from over 30 organizations.

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