2023 marks 55 years since the establishment of Centralina Regional Council. During this time, the organization has seen projects come and grow, but one thing that has remained the same is our core group of long-term employees, many of which have been with the organization for decades. So what is it that makes people stay? We sat down with some of our longest-standing staff members to understand why they’ve continued to work for our organization for so long, what makes Centralina special to them and some of their favorite moments.

PBS North Carolina sat down with staff from Centralina Area Agency on Aging to learn more about PEARLS for its NCimpact episode on mental health and older adults. PEARLS (Program to Encourage Active Rewarding Lives) is a community- and evidence-based pilot program designed to reduce depression in physically impaired and socially isolated people. Listen to Aging Program Coordinators, Amanda Dawson and Kamiya Williams, as they discuss the elements of the program, how they measure progress and how this initiative has impacted participants.

Centralina Regional Council received a $1 million planning grant through the U.S EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program, a two-stage grant program that includes funding for noncompetitive planning grants and competitive implementation grants. Our staff will serve as the lead entity for the 13-county, bi-state area and will prepare a series of plans designed to support local needs and priorities toward improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Centralina Regional Council is a regional organization focused on addressing the needs of member communities in our nine-county area and working collaboratively on issues that impact our region. We examine national, state and local trends impacting our member governments and identify their potential impacts to determine best practices for meeting needs and addressing challenges. This brief dives into current regional trends and how they are currently being addressed by Centralina, as well as how they will continue to be addressed in upcoming years.

CONNECT Beyond is a bold regional mobility plan that sets the vision for how to better connect the rural, suburban, and urban communities in our 12-county region. This plan will guide and coordinate future mobility investments for the next two decades and serve as a blueprint for implementing a robust, integrated public transit network that will combine high-capacity transit lines, enhanced bus services, local mobility options and innovative transportation technologies.

The region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is a five-year strategy that guides priorities for economic development and outlines a coordinated growth approach that builds on the region’s strengths, addresses barriers to future growth, prioritizes key regional industry clusters and emphasizes collaboration.

Each year, the National Association of Regional Councils honors organizations and regional leaders for exceptional programs, service delivery and impact on their respective region. We are pleased to announce that Centralina was honored with the 2023 Major Metro Achievement Award for our work on the ARPA Fund Implementation Support Program. This is an outstanding recognition of the collaborative work of staff who offered their technical expertise to support our member governments with the complex ARPA funding requirements. Learn more about the award-winning program.

Have you ever stopped to consider where you’ll be at age 85? Centralina Area Agency on Aging (AAA) staff often ask this question in aging and disability sensitivity training to encourage participants to think about the aging experience. The aging population is growing in the U.S. and by 2040, about one in five Americans will be age 65. Centralina Area Agency on Aging, in an effort to help increase awareness of the challenges this demographic will face, began offering aging and disability sensitivity training.

The Centralina Economic Development District (EDD) launched the 2023-2028 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Action Plan which serves as the region’s roadmap for supporting a diverse economy that ensures coordinated growth via the prosperity for all regional lenses. The CEDS Action Plan includes 26 urgent recommendations implemented during the next 24 months being led by the 28 regional subject matter experts across the region.