Topics Related to Stories of Recovery and Resilience
When COVID-19 forced schools to move online, North Carolina’s digital divide became impossible to ignore. Students without reliable internet at home couldn’t join remote classes or access their homework.
Chefs, mixologists, and hotel managers are sharing their stories in an effort to rebuild the industry they love after COVID-19. From a restaurant hostess turned general manager in Wrightsville Beach, to a Marine veteran who found a new calling in hotel service, the message behind the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association’s (NCRLA) campaign “Serving Careers” has clearly resonated. Since its launch in October 2023, it’s directly led to 687,084 job applications at restaurants and hotels across the state.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Grandfather Mountain experienced record visitation. People escaped to the nature park, famous for its Mile High Swinging Bridge, seeking fresh air, exercise, and unique experiences. Attendance increased by nearly 30% from 2019 to 2021. But not everyone could take part.
Update: While the Patriot Foundation is no longer accepting applications for the Recovery scholarship, you can still apply for its NC Patriot Star Family Scholarship Program.
Update: The pandemic recovery TeachNC financial assistance program ended after serving 7,000 people. You can still find additional TeachNC resources here.Madeleine Salazar’s first day as a third-grade teacher could not have come at a more critical time. In the fall of 2021, COVID-19 cases were back on the rise, masks and social distancing continued, and virtual learning had taken a toll. Teacher vacancies exploded.
Whether your car breaks down on the interstate or you’re the victim of an impaired driver, there’s a state trooper ready to help across nearly 80,000 miles of North Carolina roadways. But first they need to reach you. Until recently, their response time depended in part on your ability to identify your location quickly and accurately. Your cellular service also had to cooperate long enough for you to share that information.
Even as the year winds down and the holidays approach, Davis Farms Sandy Creek in Warrenton is busy as ever harvesting frost-hardy greens like kale and bok choy, while planting cover crops to help prepare the soil for the next season. Turn back the clock 100 years and you might see a similar scene, as well as Larry Davis’s ancestors.“Farming is in my blood,” says Davis, owner and operator of Davis Farms Sandy Creek. “Everything that I am is because of the things that I learned on the farm, as far as responsibility, commitment, and patience.”
Vega Construction in Pilot Mountain is a family business in every sense of the word. Owner and president Carlos Vega learned masonry from his father, an expert mason of 20 years, and after he earned an engineering degree, they started the company together in 2018. You’ll find Vega’s wife running administration in the front office and their relatives working at each construction site. Brick by brick, they’ve built a reputation for strong, quality work.
The value of North Carolina’s public gardens was never more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the virus spread and threatened the safety of indoor activities, many people turned to the outdoors. Attendance nearly doubled at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville.“People found the Arboretum as a refuge, as a place to get peace during the pandemic, to reconnect with nature,” says Deputy Director Drake Fowler.
COVID-19 presented towns, cities, and counties with a historic challenge: continue to deliver vital government services while responding to an evolving public health crisis. Costs rose as local governments took measures to protect their employees and their communities, while tax revenue fell for some.