CAHEC, a community investment organization based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina, has completed its 2026 Youth Leadership Initiative, delivering educational resources and summer camp experiences to children across its Southeast and Mid-Atlantic footprint. The initiative matters because it addresses summer learning loss and provides safe, enriching activities for youth from low-income families, while demonstrating how public-private partnerships can stretch limited resources to serve more residents than any single organization could alone.
Nearly 300 youth participating in the YMCA of Richmond's summer camp program received age-appropriate books, essential school supplies, and learning games at no cost to their families. 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 it possible to provide books and educational resources to families at no cost.
The initiative also supports personal development through summer camp opportunities for CAHEC youth residents. CAHEC partners with various YMCAs throughout its footprint to connect youth residents with summer camps where they can participate in 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 across its footprint, CAHEC sponsored 330 weeks of discounted summer camp opportunities for children from low-income families during summer 2026. These partnerships allow CAHEC to extend the reach of the Youth Leadership Initiative and connect more children with safe, educational, and engaging summer experiences.
"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," stated 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!"
Through the Youth Leadership Initiative, CAHEC seeks to create meaningful opportunities that support youth and strengthen the communities where residents live, work, and grow. The implications of this announcement extend beyond the immediate benefits: by investing in educational resources and summer camp experiences, CAHEC and its partners are helping to close opportunity gaps for low-income children, fostering long-term academic and personal development. Such collaborative efforts can serve as a model for other community investment organizations aiming to maximize their impact.
CAHEC is a community investment organization that offers housing and life-changing opportunities to residents throughout its Southeast and Mid-Atlantic footprint. Its product areas include investing in low-income housing tax credits, historic tax credits, new markets tax credits, and renewable energy credits. CAHEC also provides loan programs, wellness and education initiatives for residents, affordable housing development, and property management services. To learn more about their contributions to affordable housing and surrounding communities, visit CAHEC's website.
