Local Nonprofits Benefit from Carol Woods Contributions

      From the day the first residents moved into Carol Woods in 1979, they saw themselves as an integral part of the larger Chapel Hill community. One of Carol Woods’ purposes has always been to improve the quality of life of older adults, whether they live at Carol Woods or in the surrounding area. Charitable giving is one way that Carol Woods demonstrates its tax-exempt status. This means that at least 5% of its “resident revenue” annually goes to charitable care and to support other community benefits. These goals are accomplished through direct cash and other in-kind and indirect benefits. A few examples of the in-kind contributions are the Resident Assistance Fund; the Workforce Development Fund; unreimbursed health care costs from participation in Medicare; below-market rent for Charles House; donated time of Carol Woods employees; and tangible benefits such as donated food, equipment, books, and furniture. In 2025 Carol Woods donated $628,000 to local area nonprofits, which were recognized at a special reception on February 11, 2026. These gifts fall primarily into five categories: 1) General Aging Services and Supports, 2) Workforce Development in Aging Services, 3) Food Security for Older Adults, 4) Affordable Housing for Older Adults, and 5) Essential Services provided by local government. Thirteen organizations received gifts. Some received gifts in more than one category.

Food Security for Older Adults:

Inter-Faith Council for Social Service to support general operating costs of serving 300 households a month and meeting basic needs, including dignified and affordable housing, an abundance of healthy food, and meaningful social connection.

Meals on Wheels of Orange County volunteers, in 2025, delivered 69,000 healthy meals by friendly check-ins to the homebound and elderly recipients who require additional support and/or cannot afford meals. This service often allows these residents to remain in their own homes.

Affordable Housing for Older Adults:

Covenant Place, founded in 1998, is an affordable senior housing community in Chapel Hill. Our gift will allow replacement of worn carpeting with vinyl flooring, and enhanced lighting and motion-detected light of the outdoors to improve the safety, accessibility, and quality of life for the residents.

Habitat of Orange County receives funds to support its home repair program, “Brush with Kindness.” This program brings homes up-to-date, thus enabling low-income seniors in Orange County to remain safely in their homes while preserving affordable home ownership. Last year following the flooding caused by Chantal in July, they repaired 37 homes.

Hope Renovations was created with the dual purpose of training underemployed women to enter construction trades while assisting older adults to age in place. Carol Woods was their first major donor in 2018. More than 200 women have graduated from the 10-week program, and 82% have found jobs in the construction industry. Our gift provides funding to support home repairs and enhance safety, accessibility, and independence of marginalized, older adults.

Pee Wee Homes builds, manages, and supports small homes for older individuals on a fixed income as they transition out of homelessness. This gift goes to the Resident Support Program, which serves residents in these key areas: social and financial help, health, housing, and aging in place. It will be used to support salaries of the program and to bolster the organization’s ability to maintain affordable housing.

Workforce Development in Aging Services:

UNC Department of Geriatric Medicine to support the Geriatric Fellowship Programs’ operational component that plays a critical role in preparing physicians to meet the complex needs of older adults. Of the 35 physicians who have gone through the Fellowship Program, 12 have stayed on to practice in the area. Our gift provides administrative salary support for the program’s coordinator.

General Aging Services and Supports:

OE Enterprises to provide services for seniors with disabilities through the Meaningful Day Program, which provides community rehab and community outings. (Last year our gift allowed them to purchase a van for these outings.) One of the Day Program participants spoke about the furniture not being safe. This year’s gift will provide ergonomic, age-appropriate furniture.

Orange County Department on Aging to provide continued support for the implementation of the 2022-2027 Master Aging Plan. The plan has developed strategies to make a community more livable for senior citizens through transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation, employment, and community support services. They have eight projects and 72 programs to achieve this goal.

Senior PharmAssist to provide medical therapy management, Medicare Part D counseling, and financial assistance for medicines to individuals 60 years or older with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level.

Soltys Place (legal name: Senior Care of Orange County) will use our gift to transform an underutilized outdoor space into an engaging and restful garden through dementia-friendly furniture, paintings, shading and programming.

Essential Services:

CHC Public School Foundation to support three key CHCCS (Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools) initiatives primarily to benefit economically disadvantaged students and scholars of color. Our gift helps support the following:

• Summer Storytime Program to promote reading and provide books to students in need. In three years, they have served 2500 students and provided 13,000 books.

• Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocate trip to Greece to ensure financial assistance to eligible middle and high school scholars of color.

• AVID program to provide three $2000 college scholarships to first-generation high school students seeking higher education.

Town of Chapel Hill to support town services to address community needs, aging in place, and affordable housing. Our gift strengthens many programs such as the senior shuttle and lifelong learning.

Other financial support:

In addition to the thirteen grants listed above, the CEO Discretionary Fund gave another $12,000 divided among the following eleven organizations:

• Boys and Girls Club of Durham and Orange Counties

• Chapel Hill Flower Club

• Church World Service, Durham

• Community Empowerment Fund

• Extraordinary Ventures

• Friends of Residents in Long Term Care

• Johnson Service Corps

• NAACP

• PORCH

• Senior Tar Heel Legislature

• St. Paul’s NIDA

‍

-Sindy Barker