CAHEC, a community investment organization based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina, has completed its 2026 Youth Leadership Initiative, providing educational resources and summer experiences to youth across its Southeast and Mid-Atlantic footprint. The initiative, announced on September 29, 2026, reached nearly 300 youth through partnerships with local organizations and YMCAs, offering books, school supplies, and summer camp opportunities at no cost to families.
As part of the initiative, nearly 300 youth participating in the YMCA of Richmond's summer camp program received age-appropriate books, essential school supplies, and learning games. The summer book fair allowed campers to select books based on their interests and reading levels, helping them build at-home libraries and encouraging reading beyond the classroom. Generous support from CAHEC community partners Bernard Robinson & Co., Center Street Capital Advisors, First Citizens, Harkins Foundation, Scott Insurance, Yardi, and Zeffert & Associates made these resources possible.
The Youth Leadership Initiative also supports personal development through summer camp opportunities for CAHEC youth residents. CAHEC partners with various YMCAs throughout its footprint to connect youth with camps offering character-development activities, literacy instruction, athletics, and, in some cases, swimming lessons. Through donations from Banc of California, First Bank, North State Bank, Mountain Housing Opportunities, Taft-Mills Group, Thomas and Amanda Boothby, Urquhart Development, and relationships with YMCAs, CAHEC sponsored 330 weeks of discounted summer camp for children from low-income families during summer 2026.
"We're honored to support these initiatives for the youth residents living in our properties and are grateful to have the support of so many of our partners," said Stefanie Lee, Community Relations Manager at CAHEC. "These strategic partnerships allow us to stretch every dollar further and serve more residents than we could through CAHEC alone – it's amazing what we can do when we come together to serve!"
The initiative matters because it addresses educational and developmental gaps for children from low-income families, who often face limited access to books, school supplies, and enriching summer activities. By providing these resources, CAHEC helps mitigate summer learning loss and supports character development, potentially improving academic outcomes and well-being. The collaboration with businesses and nonprofits demonstrates how collective action can amplify impact, serving more families than any single organization could alone.
CAHEC is a community investment organization that offers housing and life-changing opportunities through low-income housing tax credits, historic tax credits, new markets tax credits, and renewable energy credits, as well as loan programs, wellness and education initiatives, affordable housing development, and property management services. For more information, visit CAHEC's website.
