CAHEC, a Raleigh-based community investment organization, has completed its 2026 Youth Leadership Initiative, providing educational resources and summer camp experiences to children from low-income families across its Southeast and Mid-Atlantic footprint. The initiative, detailed in a September 29 announcement, reached nearly 300 youth through partnerships with local YMCAs and community organizations.
At the YMCA of Richmond’s summer camp program, close to 300 campers received age-appropriate books, school supplies, and learning games at no cost to their families. The program’s summer book fair allowed children to choose books based on their interests and reading levels, helping them build home libraries and stay engaged with reading outside the classroom. The effort was backed by CAHEC community partners including Bernard Robinson & Co., Center Street Capital Advisors, First Citizens, Harkins Foundation, Scott Insurance, Yardi, and Zeffert & Associates.
The initiative also sponsored 330 weeks of discounted summer camp for children from low-income families during summer 2026. CAHEC partnered with various YMCAs to offer camps featuring character-development activities, literacy instruction, athletics, and in some cases swimming lessons. Donations from Banc of California, First Bank, North State Bank, Mountain Housing Opportunities, and Taft-Mills Group, along with contributions from Thomas and Amanda Boothby and Urquhart Development, made these camp weeks possible.
Stefanie Lee, Community Relations Manager at CAHEC, said, “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. 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 a persistent gap in summer learning and enrichment for children from low-income families, who often lose access to educational and recreational opportunities when school is out. By leveraging corporate and nonprofit partnerships, CAHEC is able to extend its reach beyond what it could achieve alone, turning individual donations into books, supplies, and camp experiences that can have lasting effects on literacy, social development, and overall well-being.
CAHEC is a community investment organization based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina, that offers housing and life-changing opportunities throughout its footprint. Its product areas include 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. The Youth Leadership Initiative is part of CAHEC’s broader effort to strengthen communities where residents live, work, and grow. More information about the organization’s community contributions is available on CAHEC’s website.
