SouthPark Serves: Celebrating the People Who Show Up for Students

There’s something powerful about starting a new school year knowing your community is behind you.

For the third consecutive year, the SouthPark community came together to celebrate and support the people at the heart of Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s work: our K–12 Student Support Specialists, TRiO Counselors, and Safe Journey Case Managers.

On August 6, local businesses and community leaders gathered at Hyatt Centric SouthPark for SouthPark Serves, a back-to-school celebration providing CIS-Charlotte staff with supplies, resources, and classroom incentives to start the 2026–2027 school year strong.

The event also served as the finale of Rise and Shine Week, bringing staff together for a day filled with dancing, laughter, raffles, celebrations, and plenty of excitement for the year ahead.

Staff were thrilled to fill their carts with donated items such as student hygiene kits, bookbags filled with school supplies, snacks, headphones and fun incentives. These resources will help create engaging environments where students feel seen, supported, and ready to learn.

Three Years of Showing Up

What began as an opportunity to support CIS-Charlotte staff has become a meaningful annual tradition. SouthPark Serves continues to grow in energy, generosity, and impact, bringing businesses and community leaders together to invest in the people who show up for students every day.

Our CIS staff connects students and families with relationships, resources, encouragement, and opportunities that help remove barriers and create pathways for students to thrive.

Thank You to Our SouthPark Partners

We are incredibly grateful to every company that helped make SouthPark Serves possible:

AC, Marriott & Renaissance SouthPark
Albemarle Corporation
Allen Tate Real Estate | Howard Hanna Charlotte-SouthPark
Carolina Ascent FC
Charlotte Knights
Coca-Cola Consolidated
Food Lion
Hyatt Centric SouthPark
The Indigo Road Hospitality Group’s Mizu & Oak Steakhouse
Kendra Scott SouthPark
National Gypsum
Nucor
Simon Property Group
SouthPark Community Partners
SouthPark Magazine

A Special Thank You to Hyatt Centric SouthPark

A special thank you to Hyatt Centric SouthPark for generously hosting SouthPark Serves and providing the perfect setting and spectacular meals to celebrate our staff and kick off a new school year. We are grateful for their continued partnership and commitment to our community. This event continues to show what’s possible when we come together with a shared belief in students and in the people who support them every day.