13 Aug Celebrating the Nonprofits That Help Our Communities Thrive
Some of the most important work in a community happens quietly.
It happens when a child receives the healthy food they need for the week. When a family has a welcoming place to stay while a loved one receives medical care. When a young person is given the chance to discover confidence, creativity, and connection through dance.
These moments may look very different, but they all have something in common. They are made possible by organizations and people who care deeply about the communities around them.
This National Nonprofit Day, we’re taking a moment to celebrate the organizations that show up for our communities in so many important ways.
At Blackman & Sloop, we are fortunate to work with so many nonprofit organizations that are deeply invested in the people they serve. This year, we are especially proud to highlight three of these organizations: American Dance Festival, SECU Family House, and TABLE.
Each organization has its own mission and its own story, but together they offer a meaningful look at the many ways nonprofits strengthen a community.
Creating Connection Through Dance
For the American Dance Festival, that work begins with movement.
Founded in 1934 and based in Durham since 1978, the American Dance Festival has grown into one of the nation’s leading modern dance organizations. Through performances, artist residencies, educational programs, commissions, and community engagement, ADF brings artists, students, families, and audiences together through a shared appreciation for dance.
But its impact extends far beyond the stage.
Through ADF Project Dance, professional teaching artists bring free dance education directly into schools, libraries, community centers, and neighborhood spaces. In 2025 alone, the program offered more than 250 free classes and reached more than 1,000 young people.
For those students, the experience is about more than simply learning steps or choreography. It is a chance to explore creativity, build confidence, connect with others, and experience the joy of trying something new.
That sense of possibility is at the heart of ADF’s work. The organization believes dance should be something people can experience and participate in, regardless of age, background, or financial circumstances.
As ADF looks toward its 50th anniversary in Durham in 2027, it continues to build on decades of partnership with the community it calls home.
A Place to Feel Less Far From Home
For families traveling to UNC Hospitals for medical care, being away from home can add another layer of stress during an already difficult time.
A medical diagnosis or treatment plan can quickly change a family’s daily life. When care requires traveling away from home, there are also practical questions to navigate. Where will we stay? How will we get back and forth to the hospital? How much will all of this cost?
SECU Family House helps make those questions a little easier to answer.
Since 2008, the organization has provided affordable lodging, meals, transportation, and a supportive community for patients and families traveling to UNC Hospitals. Guests come from all 100 North Carolina counties and all 50 states, often arriving during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
Over the past year, SECU Family House served 2,167 families and provided 23,391 nights of stay.
Those numbers tell an important story, but the heart of the mission is found in what those nights represent.
They mean a spouse can stay near a loved one receiving treatment. A parent can remain close to a child. A patient has one less expense to worry about while focusing on their health. A family going through an overwhelming experience can find comfort, understanding, and community far from home.
The need for that support continues to grow. SECU Family House frequently reaches capacity, and some families must be referred to local hotels when rooms are unavailable. The organization is exploring opportunities to expand so it can welcome even more families in the future.
And while lodging is at the center of its mission, it is the people who help turn Family House into a home away from home. Volunteers prepare meals, answer phones, organize supplies, fold laundry, and offer countless small acts of care that make guests feel welcome.
Sometimes, the most meaningful support is simply making sure someone does not have to face a difficult season alone.
Making Sure Local Children Have Food on the Table
TABLE is responding to another need that can be easy to overlook.
Childhood hunger does not always look the way people expect it to. Many families experiencing food insecurity are working, receiving some form of assistance, and doing everything they can to keep up with everyday expenses. But as the cost of groceries, housing, childcare, and transportation rises, there is not always enough left to consistently provide healthy meals.
TABLE works to help fill that gap.
The organization is the only local nonprofit focused exclusively on childhood hunger in Orange County. Through its home delivery model, TABLE provides healthy food and nutrition education to more than 1,250 local children each week. Delivering food directly to families also helps remove transportation as a barrier to receiving support.
This year, TABLE reached an especially meaningful milestone. For the first time since 2023, there is no waitlist for services.
That means when a family reaches out for help, they can begin receiving support right away. It is an accomplishment that reflects not only the work of TABLE’s staff, but also the commitment of the donors, volunteers, delivery drivers, and community partners who help make the mission possible.
The need, however, is still very real. Rising costs continue to put pressure on families, and sustained community support is important to helping TABLE meet the needs of local children.
There are many ways to be part of that work. Community members can donate food, volunteer, become a weekly delivery driver, make a financial gift, or simply help more people learn about TABLE’s mission. A $30 donation can provide food for one child for one week.
It is a simple reminder that even a relatively small act of generosity can have a very real impact on a child and their family.
Different Missions, Shared Purpose
American Dance Festival, SECU Family House, and TABLE serve different people and address very different needs. One creates opportunities for creativity, expression, and connection through dance. Another gives families comfort and stability while they are away from home for medical care. The third helps make sure children in our own community have access to nutritious food.
What connects them is the care and commitment behind their work. Nonprofits are often measured by numbers such as classes offered, families served, meals provided, dollars raised, and volunteer hours contributed. Those numbers matter because they help show the reach of an organization’s work, but they only tell part of the story.
Behind every number is a person. There is a child discovering a love of dance, a caregiver able to stay close to someone they love, or a family opening their door to a delivery of healthy groceries. And behind each of those moments are staff members, volunteers, board members, donors, community partners, and supporters who continue to show up.
That is what makes nonprofit work so meaningful. It is rarely the result of one person or one act. It is the result of people coming together around a shared belief that their time, resources, and care can make a real difference in the lives of others.
A Moment to Say Thank You
National Nonprofit Day gives us an opportunity to recognize that commitment and the people who make it possible.
At Blackman & Sloop, we are grateful for the opportunity to work with organizations like American Dance Festival, SECU Family House, and TABLE. We see the thought, care, and dedication that goes into carrying a mission forward, and we are proud to play a small part in supporting organizations that give so much back to the communities around them.
We also know that nonprofit work depends on people choosing to participate.
That might mean volunteering for an afternoon, attending an event, sharing an organization’s story, making a donation, or simply taking the time to learn more about a cause you did not know much about before.
Every form of support matters.
Ways to Support American Dance Festival
There are many ways to be part of ADF’s work. Community members can attend a performance, take a class, volunteer, host a cast party for performers, provide housing for a faculty member, make a donation, or introduce someone new to the festival. Following ADF on social media or subscribing to its newsletter is another simple way to stay connected throughout the year.
Supporters can also take part in the ADF Project Dance Challenge Grant. Thanks to a matching gift from Susan and Michael Hershfield, donations will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $25,000, through September 30. These gifts help provide free dance education for children throughout the Triangle.
Learn more and get involved at americandancefestival.org.
Ways to Support SECU Family House
Community support plays an important role in helping SECU Family House create a welcoming place for patients and families traveling for medical care. Volunteers help in many ways, including answering phones, organizing the kitchen and pantry, folding laundry, and preparing meals for guests.
There are also opportunities to support Family House by making a financial contribution, attending fundraising events, sharing its mission with others, or connecting the organization with businesses, foundations, and community groups that may be interested in supporting its work.
Several upcoming opportunities make it especially easy to get involved. The Heart of the House Campaign supports the organization’s annual fund and helps provide affordable lodging, compassionate care, and other essential resources for families. The Annual Gala will take place September 25 at The Carolina Inn, and the inaugural Chapel Hill Biscuit Festival will be held October 24 and 25 at American Legion Post 6.
Learn more about these opportunities and SECU Family House at secufh.org.
Ways to Support TABLE
For TABLE, every act of support helps provide local children with the nutritious food they need to grow, learn, and thrive.
Community members can volunteer, become weekly delivery drivers, donate healthy food, make a financial gift, or simply help more people learn about TABLE’s mission. A donation of $30 can provide food for one child for one week, making even a relatively small contribution meaningful.
Supporters can also join TABLE for its 14th Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser on October 4, 2026, at Carrboro Town Commons. The event brings together local restaurants, potters, volunteers, and community members to support TABLE’s work fighting childhood hunger. Guests can enjoy soups from local restaurants and take home a handcrafted bowl as a reminder that no child’s bowl should be empty.
Learn more, volunteer, or make a donation at TABLEnc.org.
Celebrating the People Who Make It Possible
This National Nonprofit Day, we hope you will join us in celebrating not only these three organizations, but also the staff members, volunteers, donors, board members, community partners, and supporters who help their missions move forward.
Whether it is introducing a child to dance, giving a family a welcoming place to stay during medical treatment, or helping put nutritious food on a child’s table, each act of support has the ability to make a real difference.
Strong communities are built through that kind of care, one person, one organization, and one act of generosity at a time.