Love Is Local: Celebrating 10 Years of Community, Connection, and Promise

On October 11, we gathered to celebrate Southeast Raleigh Promise’s 10th anniversary of community impact and the power of what’s possible when we come together for the place so many of us call home.

More than 200 residents, local business owners, students, neighbors, and community partners joined us at the shared auditorium on the Beacon Campus along Rock Quarry Road for our inaugural Love Is Local Raleigh Sunday Supper.

Over a shared meal featuring food from local businesses Cuisine Orleans, Juiced!, and Madam B’s Bakery, we enjoyed an afternoon of fellowship, conversation, and connection. In keeping with our Love Is Local theme, we were intentional about featuring and supporting businesses along the Rock Quarry Road Corridor, including those members of our Rock Quarry Road Small Business Alliance. It was an opportunity for longtime and newer residents, community leaders, and partners to get to know one another, share experiences, and celebrate what makes Southeast Raleigh special.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was our Front Porch Conversations, where residents and community partners joined us on stage to reflect on Southeast Raleigh Promise’s first decade, share stories of progress and community impact, and talk about what’s next and what’s needed to move our work forward.

Our front porch backdrop featured a photo of the home of Ms. Mattie Jones, a 104-year-old native of Southeast Raleigh. Her presence and willingness to share in this special celebration made the afternoon even more meaningful, reminding us of the generations of residents whose lives and stories are woven into the fabric of this community.

Despite the threat of severe weather, we were grateful for the sunshine that accompanied our gathering, while keeping our thoughts with our neighbors in surrounding communities affected by the storms.

Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket, joined us for Sunday Supper, and helped make the afternoon so special. We are especially grateful to our sponsors – Live Nation, PNC, YMCA of the Triangle, PNC, Purpose Built Communities, and Self-Help Credit Union – for supporting this celebration of community. We also appreciate our community partners from our Beacon Site, as well as the N.C. Central University Jazz Ensemble, DJ Ayrun, Southeast Raleigh Elementary School, the Rock Quarry Road Small Business Alliance vendors, and volunteers.

As we reflect on this milestone, one thing remains clear: meaningful, lasting change happens when residents, businesses, students, and community partners come together with a shared purpose and a commitment to the place we call home.

Here’s to 10 years of impact and to the promise of what we can continue building together!

Enjoy a few of our favorite moments from Love Is Local!