A good while ago the membership voted at one of our monthly meetings to spend $2500 of a $5000 grant we were awarded by Trips For Kids to match funds with a local community called Villa Heights that's trying to rebuild itself. This community is near Cordelia Park near the North Davidson area of Charlotte, and also near the Trips For Kids Recyclery where kids can work to earn a reconditioned bike. NODA may be one of the up and coming hip communities, but some of the surrounding area is pretty industrial and somewhat economically challenged in past years, and the Tarheel Trailblazers are going to partner with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation and community leaders to lend a helping hand. I've also been in touch with TFKs and CABA leaders to try and make this more than just a Tarheel Trailblazer project, and hope to get REI involved also.

Anyway, I'm walking the land around noon on 9/11 with local leaders, Park and Recreation, hopefully a representative from CABA, and I've also let REI and TFKs know about this.

This won't be a destination trail for most of us, but what I'd call a give back to the community to show we'll help out when we can for the greater good.

As always I'll be putting "Help Wanted" posts out there once we see what's possible with the land and it's time for volunteers. Plan is to use a professional trail builder to punch the corridoor and then hand finish.

Edward Autry
President - Tarheel Trailblazers.