Helping People.
Changing Lives.
That's BRCA.
Blue Ridge Community Action, Inc. (BRCA) is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1965 to address problems related to poverty in Burke, Caldwell, and Rutherford counties. The BRCA mission statement, "Helping People. Changing Lives." embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes our counties better places to live. We care about the community and are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other. BRCA strives to obtain and maintain agency self-sufficiency and assist employees and low-income residents in obtaining and maintaining self-sufficiency. Our mission is realized by providing services, advocacy, and support for persons to become economically self-sufficient, improve the quality of their lives, and better provide opportunities for their families.
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A 15-member tripartite Board of Directors governs BRCA: one-third of the Board represents elected public officials, one-third represents the private sector, and one-third represents low-income communities. Under the guidance of the local Board, BRCA develops programs and mobilizes resources from federal, state, and local governments, private foundations, and private financing to expand and/or establish new services benefiting low-income residents.
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BRCA’s primary service counties are Burke, Caldwell, and Rutherford, although limited services are provided to low-income residents of Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Rutherford, Stanly, and Union Counties.
Our
Mission
Statement
"Helping People , Changing Lives," is realized by providing services, advocacy, and support for persons so they can become self-sufficient, improve the quality of their lives, and better provide opportunities for their families.
Agency History
Blue Ridge Community Action, Inc. (BRCA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation organized in 1965 as a Community Action Agency. BRCA was established to help provide programs serving area low-income residents.
Since 1965, BRCA has maintained its three-fold mission:
1) Provide programs and services that enable families to move out of poverty positions
2) Provide programs and services that reduce the suffering caused by poverty
3) Advocate for change in policies, institutions, and practices which cause and maintain poverty in our communities.
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Within the context of this three-fold mission, BRCA has developed various programs designed to meet the multiple needs of low-income families. While the geographic service area for BRCA is not limited, agency programs primarily serve residents of Burke and Caldwell counties. Limited services are available in other counties, including Rutherford, Alexander, Gaston, Catawba, Union, Stanly, and Cleveland.
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In addition to the direct services and skills development programs, BRCA staff and Board members are also members of area policy-making groups and represent private industry sectors. These individuals advocate on behalf of the agency for change in those institutions and policies that create and/or maintain poverty in our communities.
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The agency has successfully financially structured program service delivery to maximize local private sector funds and, where feasible and appropriate, generate self-supporting income streams for programs. The combination of public grants to directly aid individuals and income-generating programs has given BRCA the flexibility as a non-profit organization to develop and expand programs to meet the needs of our communities.