Author Archive | Jonathan Young

CEF in the Summer!

By on 3/26/13 in In the News

We Need Advocates this Summer:  Sign up here! 

CEF Advocates work side by side with individuals struggling with underemployment and unemployment, saving for affordable housing, and sustainably working their way out of poverty.

As a CEF Member Advocate:

You’ll have the opportunity to work closely alongside one of our Members (homeless, unemployed, or underemployed individuals), helping to provide financial support and access to resources, as well as to build a supportive environment.

No experience necessary- we will provide training to all new volunteers!

Ready to get involved? Sign up HERE!

Member Advocates will:

  • Believe In Possibilities
  • Budgeting
  • Resume Building
  • Job Search Assistance
  • Find Ways to Increase Income and Decrease Expenses
  • Housing Search Assistance
  • Connections to Community and Government Resources
  • Small Business Plan Preparation
  • Personal Coach for Economic Independence
  • Bond with Each Other! And Strengthen Relationships
  • Stand Up for All People
  • Explore Pathways to Higher Education
  • Fight for Financial Freedom
  • Create Positive Community
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Member Story : Gerardo and Flor

By on 10/18/12 in Member Story

martinez Renting

written by Sarah Cohn

Gerardo and Flor Martinez, natives of Mexico, are long-time Chapel Hill residents. They had already begun growing their small event rental business, Martinez Rental, when they enrolled in the CEF Latino business course in the spring of 2011. I met Gerardo and Flor several months after they had graduated from the program, as they sought to learn more about formalizing their business. The first time I sat down with Gerardo and Flor didn’t go so well. That is, I wasn’t at all prepared to answer Flor’s multitude of legal questions concerning permits, licensing, and taxes. I’m no business expert, and those are the topics that really confuse me most. It was obvious that Flor had done her homework, and that I hadn’t. I knew after that first meeting that working with Gerardo and Flor wasn’t going to be easy – because formalizing a business isn’t easy – but that Martinez Rental was going to be one of the most successful businesses we’ve seen.

I continued meeting with Gerardo and Flor for the next several months. It seemed at each meeting like we weren’t making any progress, as we would come into it with questions and leave with even more questions. What types of licenses are required for an event rental company? Can you operate outside the city that you’re based in? What about special permits? And insurance? And more insurance if you have a moon bounce?! The intricacies of legalizing a business is something I never saw myself being involved with. But there I was, trying to make sense of the Town of Chapel Hill’s Business Management website and calling the Secretary of State’s office with what seemed like an endless list of questions.

Gerardo’s hard work and Flor’s inquisitive attitude impressed me and inspired me to work through these problems with them. Actually, it really overwhelmed me at first, but as I continued working with the couple I learned a lot from them. I learned a little something about business, sure, but what I really admired was their persistence and dedication.

Martinez Rental is now formalized and growing steadily. Now that I understand a little more about what it takes to run a business, I call that a huge success. I’m proud to have been a small part of Gerardo and Flor’s story, and I can only hope that CEF made as much of an impression on them as they did on me.

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Advocate Training Sept 4th and 11th

By on 8/30/12 in General


CEF: Community Empowerment Fund is holding an Advocate Training! Learn everything you need to know to start working one-on-one with members of the community dedicated to their own success. CEF is not a charity – it’s a community approach to empowering individuals. Trainings on September 4 and September 11, 6PM to 8PM in the Campus Y, Room 207. CEF offers savings opportunities, micro-loans, financial education, and one-on-one support to people who are homeless, unemployed, or under employed

Join the Facebook Event!

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Friends on Franklin St.

By on 6/25/12 in Advocate Story, Written By Advocates

By Kemper Ramsey

I have been working with CEF since the beginning of my freshman year at Carolina. For so many students, that first semester is a turbulent time – finding new friends, understanding a new town and a whole new group of people, and being pushed out of their comfort zone for the first time in a while. When I found CEF and started spending time with our members and advocates, I knew that I had found an amazing community of people.

Spending time in the office not only teaches how to navigate job searching sites, government programs, and credit reports, but also the most important business of providing support to CEF’s members as a friend and ally. I remember walking out of the office that first week I came in and feeling positively uplifted by the stories I had heard and the people I had met. I know I came into CEF thinking I would help people and educate people on their finances or how to build a resume, but I was unprepared for the genuine friendships and care that would come along the way.

So while CEF has helped so many in the Chapel Hill community to get jobs, become financially literate, and save toward their goals, the most incredible aspect for me has been the relationships I have built and the friends I get to see walking down Franklin street or coming into the office every week.

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CEF: Community Empowerment Fund
Chapel Hill: 919-200-0233 Durham: 919-797-9233

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