Student Life

Single Stop luncheon celebrates achievements of first six months

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From left: John M. Belk Endowment Program Officer, Cynthia Liston; NCC President, Dr. Bill Carver; Executive Director of the John M Belk Endowment, Kristy Teskey; NCC Single Stop Site Coordinator and Clinical Outreach Counselor, Marbeth Holmes; Board Chair John M. Belk Endowment, MC Belk; Southern Regional Director Single Stop, Sarah Crawford; Senior Program Officer Single Stop, Clare Cady; and student Natema Drummond

Nash Community College held a special luncheon recently to celebrate its first six months providing Single Stop services. Representatives from Single Stop and the John M. Belk Endowment were on hand, along with NCC faculty and staff. Sarah Crawford, Southern Regional Director of Single Stop spoke of the impact Single Stop services have on qualifying students and how NCC will be used as a benchmark for other college campuses. MC Belk, Board Chair of the John M. Belk Endowment spoke of the partnership with Single Stop and the opportunities it provides for students. “We are very grateful to the John M. Belk Endowment for the grant to partner with Single Stop to provide this collateral support as part of the College’s commitment to serving the student to graduation and beyond, ” said Marbeth Holmes, Nash Community College’s Single Stop Site Coordinator and Clinical Outreach Counselor.

Utilizing the Single Stop screening process, NCC’s staff identifies student eligibility for a variety of helpful resources at the federal, state, and local levels. “Single Stop has been an excellent addition to the services provided through Nash Community College’s Student Wellness Center,” said Holmes. NCC’s Single Stop staff help students with the application process, provide on-going support, and follow up to insure students are able to access the resources they deserve. “Many students face financial hardships and impoverishment that are a distraction to their academic engagement,” added Holmes.

NCC student, Natema Drummond, gave her testimony about how the services offered by Single Stop facilitate the opportunity for a shift of focus to the learning process and achieving academic success. To date, Nash Community College’s Single Stop has provided $504,997 in monetary benefits to qualifying students.

Through a unique one-stop shop, Single Stop provides coordinated access to a safety net worth $750 billion and services provided by thousands of nonprofits—connecting people to the resources they need to attain higher education, obtain good jobs, and achieve financial self-sufficiency. Since spinning off from Robin Hood in 2007, Single Stop’s outreach and capacity have grown dramatically. Single Stop has connected over one million households in eight states to nearly $3 billion of resources and services. To achieve this, Single Stop provides community-based organizations and community colleges with training, evaluation, program support, change management consulting, and proprietary technology. These tools empower sites to provide low income families and individuals with wrap-around services that include benefits screening, application assistance, case management, tax preparation, and legal and financial counseling.

Through the NCC Student Wellness Center with clinical outreach counseling, NCC connects students with qualified professionals and community resources who can offer support. The Center’s scope of services includes Single Stop services, screening and assessment, crisis intervention, personal counseling, support groups, referral services for chronic care, psycho-education, cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy and more. Holmes is trained to provide assistance to special populations in need of therapeutic support groups such as veterans, single mothers, survivors of trauma and domestic violence, drug abusers and others. College resources that also provide assistance to students include: the Student Government Association, MALE mentoring program, the Library, a SGA Food Pantry, and Success Closet providing professional attire for students needing clothing for career preparation and interviews.

For more information about Single Stop, visit www.singlestop.org or call 252.428.7334.