A century of service

Good morning! Today is Monday, July 27, 2026. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.

Today's Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by Carnegie Private Wealth. At Carnegie Private Wealth, we bring clarity to complexity. Through thoughtful planning and personal attention, we help you pursue opportunities and reclaim time for what matters most.

by Lindsey Banks

As a child in small-town Maryland, Kathi Knier watched her mother care for an endless stream of family members and neighbors. One of 12 children herself, her mother cooked meals for sick relatives, washed laundry for her unmarried uncle and stepped in whenever someone needed help.

“When I got to Charlotte, I didn’t have that community to take care of yet,” she said, “but the idea of helping was already there.”

So, at the age of 24, Knier joined the Junior League. 

Her instinct to serve has turned into nearly 40 years as a member of the Junior League of Charlotte, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. It’s a milestone that seems rare in a changing city like Charlotte – a century of volunteerism, women’s leadership development and deep community impact, work that is oftentimes unheralded or stigmatized by outdated views of the women’s group. 

Founded locally in 1926 by 30 women to establish the Junior League Baby Home to care for orphaned children, the nonprofit organization has since contributed more than 1.7 million volunteer hours and more than $13.7M to projects throughout the Charlotte area. 

The League is behind early support and fundraising efforts of Charlotte institutions like Discovery Place and its Nature Museum, Children’s Theater of Charlotte, Charlotte Speech & Hearing and Levine Children’s Hospital. Each year, it partners with different organizations in the area. For 2026-27, that includes Classroom Central, Girl Flow, Hope Haven, Second Harvest Food Bank and Thompson Child & Family Focus. 

“Women are natural philanthropists,” said Laura Snead, current president of Charlotte’s Junior League chapter. “They want to do more in the community that they live and serve and work in, and having an organization that not only does that but also helps them professionally with leadership … people are driven to that, and women are great mentors and leaders for other women who are looking for that.”

The organization’s legacy is rooted in service, she said, but today’s Junior League has become just as much about developing women leaders and building community as it is about volunteering. 

Snead, 43, who joined the League in 2015, said one of its greatest strengths is helping women discover abilities they don’t yet recognize in themselves. 

“The league has done a great job to ensure that we are tapping those people on the shoulders to say, ‘You can do this. We believe in you,’” she said.

That shoulder-tap has remained constant even as, much like Charlotte itself, the Junior League has changed dramatically over the past century.

When Velva Woollen joined the Junior League in the 1960s, membership looked different. Women had to be invited to join rather than apply like they do today, and many members were stay-at-home wives and mothers, she said. They were also all white and predominantly upper class. 

But in 1978, in a movement to become more inclusive, the nonpartisan Association of Junior Leagues International issued a statement welcoming women of all races and religions. The organization’s membership and programming became more diverse – which eventually included more working professionals. 

The different skill sets that members brought to league chapters helped the organization broaden its capabilities and reach, and, in turn, members were offered opportunities and experiences to strengthen leadership skills – something that may have been overlooked in the male-dominated offices of their day jobs. 

As perhaps evidence of how the organization has evolved with the times, in a log of past presidents that dates back to 1926, women were listed as “Mrs. + their husband’s name” until 2018. 

"I think that there can be a stereotype of the league from back in the day," said member Margaret Hardy. "It's not stuffy. It's warm. It doesn't feel outdated. It feels very modern and rooted in a tradition to be proud of."

Today, women aged 23 or older can apply to join; they don’t have to be invited and endorsed by other established members. 

Members first join as “provisionals,” going through an orientation period before becoming active members, who volunteer with community partners or serve in leadership roles within the organization. After several years of service, members may transition to “sustainer” status, which means they remain involved but step back from active committee work. 

Snead said that each active member contributes about 40 volunteer hours every year, and they pay $275 in annual dues, while provisional members also pay a one-time new member fee of $30.  

Membership has slightly dwindled in recent years, reaching a peak of about 2,000 but now at about 1,100, but leaders say the decline is a mere reflection of changing lifestyles, with more women balancing careers, families and volunteer service. Among the Charlotte chapter’s 1,100 members, about 250 to 300 are active members, and more than 800 have transitioned to the sustainer status.

Woollen, 87, who served as Charlotte’s League president from 1979 to 1980, said the organization’s purpose was never about achieving a certain level of social status to her. 

Instead, it became a training ground. 

“The Junior League gave me a life,” Woollen said. She credits the League with preparing her for decades of civic leadership, including serving on Charlotte City Council, chairing nonprofit boards and helping guide organizations such as Discovery Place, Duke Mansion and Sugar Creek Charter School. 

Former Junior League presidents also include Martha Bedell Alexander (1976 to 1977), a former member of the N.C. General Assembly, and Charlitta Hatch (2020 to 2021), a current Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board member.

“I owe everything to the Junior League because it gave me confidence,” Woollen said. 

Knier, 66, who also served as League president from 1998 to 1999, says the same. She’s the chief development officer of InReach, a local nonprofit that provides support and resources to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

“The funny thing to me is that I never felt, until I look back now, that I was being trained,” Knier said. “It was just part of the organization.” 

Knier still remembers standing before a League membership meeting to deliver an invocation, so nervous she felt she couldn’t move her head. Years later, public speaking became second nature. 

Those lessons came through committee work, organizing volunteers and eventually leading hundreds of women.

Just as importantly, she said, the friendships she’s made at the organization have lasted.

“If I were to name my 10 best friends, nine of them are because of the Junior League,” Knier said. 

Those relationships continue to attract women to the organization today. Hardy, 41, transferred into the Junior League of Charlotte after moving to the city last year knowing almost no one. She had previously been a member of Junior League chapters in Seattle and Durham.

“I thought to myself, how do I build a life here where I feel like I belong?” Hardy said. “I really wanted to belong to a community that kind of felt like, or a community that was like, what I want my life to be, which is smart and fun and inclusive and meaningful. And the Junior League has always been that.”

Hardy works in education administration and relationship coaching. In her free time, she serves as chair sof the League’s internal events and socials committee, organizing gatherings such as book clubs, walks and movie nights to connect members outside volunteer projects. 

“I think since Covid, people are thriving more towards an organization with a community benefit, and they also want a community for themselves,” Snead said. 

That demand has fueled one of the League’s largest incoming provisional classes in recent years, a trend members believe reflects something larger than volunteerism alone. 

The Junior League was founded 100 years ago, in part, to help women find their voice in a time when they couldn’t even open a line of credit. 

Today, the League is teaching women to use their voice, with unwavering confidence, to lift up Charlotte’s nonprofit community and other women around them. 

"I always want us to have a voice at the table," Knier said. "We bring big hearts to that table, and big minds, and big ideas."

Lindsey Banks is assistant editor for The Charlotte Ledger: [email protected]

Today's supporting sponsor is Carnegie Private Wealth. At Carnegie Private Wealth, we bring clarity to complexity. Through thoughtful planning and personal attention, we help you pursue opportunities and reclaim time for what matters most.

Vimal Kapur isn’t exactly a household name in Charlotte.

But he’s the CEO of one of the largest Charlotte-based Fortune 500 companies, Honeywell Technologies. You’ve probably seen the company’s building on Mint Street, across from Bank of America Stadium.

On Thursday, Kapur led company leaders in ringing the NASDAQ closing bell from their headquarters to celebrate its first earnings announcement as a standalone company after it split into three to allow each company to focus on its strengths. In the 2Q, the Honeywell Technologies segment reported profits were up 9%, to $985M, on $5.2B in revenue.

Honeywell Technologies makes software, automation systems and industrial technologies that help businesses run factories, buildings and critical infrastructure more efficiently.

After the ceremony, Kapur spoke with reporters about the company's future, Charlotte and the broader economy. A few of the highlights:

◼️ Charlotte is a long-term bet. Asked about hiring, Kapur noted Honeywell has added 1,100 jobs in Charlotte over the past seven years and expects continued growth, even if it's too early to predict where future jobs will land. “Jobs will get added in the U.S. It's hard for me to be a futurist to say which city will get how many, but everybody will benefit from that. I mean, a growth-oriented company creates jobs. [The] short answer is we're going to grow. Specifics are hard to point to at this point of time.”

◼️ He’s big on Charlotte. Kapur, who said Charlotte is the seventh city and third country he's lived in, praised its mix of big-city amenities and quality of life: “What I like about Charlotte is it's a small city with all the capabilities or all the facilities of a big city, and finding that balance is hard. ... It provides a lot of opportunity for growth for our people.”

◼️ AI is reshaping industrial companies. Kapur said manufacturers increasingly face a shortage of skilled workers, making automation and artificial intelligence essential. "Our customers' No. 1 issue is lack of skilled people," he said, describing how Honeywell is building tools that allow "a lesser-skilled person" to perform work that previously required more expertise.

◼️ Upbeat on economy. Pointing to strong demand for AI infrastructure, Kapur said, "It's doing well, as you can see from our numbers," adding that inflation remains a factor but "that's not slowing down the demand because people are still building for long-term assets for future needs."

Kapur also said Honeywell felt a responsibility to showcase Charlotte by hosting the NASDAQ ceremony here rather than in New York, saying the event highlighted not only
the company but also the city itself. —Tony Mecia

It’s time for the latest installment of our “You Ask, We Answer” column, in which you (the reader) send us (The Ledger) a question that’s been on your mind lately.

A reader named René recently reached out to us — not so much with a direct question, but some confusion she had about a promotion running for Charlotte Ballet’s “Nutcracker” production this holiday season. Here’s what she had to say:

We reached out to Charlotte Ballet to ask for clarification on how the promotion was advertised and if any changes are planned to make the dates clearer.

The Ledger heard back from Jared Misner, director of marketing and communications at the Ballet, who said in an email that, as part of its annual Christmas in July celebration, the Ballet sent postcards with a 50% discount code for select performances of “Nutcracker” to several groups of people who have attended past performances at Charlotte Ballet.

“While we bolded the dates on the postcard’s calendar that specified which performances the code was valid for, we should have been clearer in our explanation,” Misner said. “Our Box Office staff is more than happy to assist this customer in redeeming the coupon for the select shows.”

He said that all emails sent to these same audiences clearly state the select dates for which the discount code is valid. Misner included a screenshot that showed the qualifying dates in an email. Evening performances on Dec. 4, Dec. 5, Dec. 11, Dec. 13, Dec. 17 and Dec. 20 are the “Nutcracker” shows included in the promotion. And, as mentioned, the deal only applies to tickets in price zones 1-3, and there’s a limit of eight tickets per purchase. The offer expires at 11:59 p.m. July 31.

“We’ve asked our social media marketing agency to edit all currently running ads to more clearly state these select dates, so those will now be even clearer,” Misner said, adding the Ballet has not received any additional feedback on this postcard and that Charlotte Ballet is on track for record-breaking attendance at this year’s “Nutcracker.” —Ashley Fahey

In 2016, Bethanie Johnson was running a group bike ride out of the school where she worked when a parent asked her about teaching a class on bike safety skills. Inspired by the suggestion, she and Charlotte Cadieux founded CLT Bike Camp that summer.

CLT Bike Camp teaches children ranging from five to 13 how to be safe, responsible bikers around the city of Charlotte. A day at camp usually includes riding around local parks and greenways, playing games and safety drills, like stopping and starting, using your hand to signal and reading stop lights.

During its first summer a decade ago, CLT Bike Camp offered two camps. Neither one filled up. 

Now, in 2026, the camp offers six programs covering all skill levels, from those who have never ridden a bike to experienced cyclists, and available spots fill up quickly during registration.

Camps are staffed in part by youth staff and volunteers, many of whom used to be campers themselves.

The camp aims to be accessible for all children who want to attend. The organization works with local nonprofit The Recyclery to get bikes for children who don’t already have one. Additionally, scholarships are provided for families who can’t cover the registration cost.

Johnson said that she thinks cycling in Charlotte has grown in recent years, with greenway and sidewalk improvements leading to more accessible paths for bikes. 

“Everything that's been built for cycles in Charlotte have made riding less dangerous and more family friendly,” she said.

However, road safety — bike rules for a sidewalk, how to safely operate a bike, precautions to take on a road — is still a top priority at camps, and specific focus is placed on crafting campers into responsible road users.

Johnson emphasizes that part of being a responsible cyclist is looking ahead and planning your next step. She said that this teaches campers how to make smart, thought-out decisions in real life as well. 

Beyond that, she said, through the camp, kids are able to gain a sense of autonomy. 

“What I love that they get out of it is a feeling of independence and growth because I think, and some of it is for the better, but children don't get that many opportunities to be independent in this day and age,” Johnson said.

Johnson said she often hears stories from parents that their child showed them a bike route after riding it at camp, and guided their family on the ride. 

Biking, she said, expands options of screen-free, outdoor, family-friendly activities. 

“Everybody's always decrying or talking about how children are inside all the time and on devices all the time,” Johnson said. “But we also don't provide many opportunities to get them outside, and so that is really a big part of what we do.” —Cooper Hall 

An article in Friday’s newsletter gave the wrong name of 24 Foundation founder Spencer Lueders. Our apologies.

Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29: “Caravaggio: A Life on the Edge,” 6-7:30 p.m., at Mint Museum Uptown, 500 S. Tryon St. Discover the turbulent life of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Mint President and CEO Todd Herman, PhD, examines how, despite a life marked by conflict and constant flight, Caravaggio’s bold realism transformed art across Italy and Western Europe before his untimely death at just 38. Free talk. $10 special exhibition admission.

THURSDAY, JULY 30: “South Charlotte Partners Breakfast Club,” 8-9:30 a.m., at AC Hotel Charlotte Ballantyne, 14819 Ballantyne Village Way. July Breakfast Club will focus on the topic of “The State of Healthcare in South Charlotte.” The conversation will bring together local health care leaders to explore how hospitals are evolving to meet the needs of a growing and diverse community. $25 in advance. $35 at the door.

AUGUST 6: “Connect After 5,” 5-7 p.m., at Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas, 1701 N. Graham St., Suite 100. Join the Charlotte Area Chamber of Commerce for its Connect After 5 event. This mixer is the perfect opportunity for professionals across various industries to come together, share insights and forge new business relationships. Whether you're a seasoned executive or a budding entrepreneur, you'll find value in the diverse interactions and potential collaborations that await. Free for members. $25 for non-members.

➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.