About Us
MISSION
To empower children and families by creating pathways to success and eliminating barriers to economic mobility through education and advocacy.
VISION
Families that enhance their quality of life and break generational cycles of poverty and trauma.
WHO WE SERVE
Low to moderate income families in Cabarrus County and the Greater Charlotte area.
WHAT WE DO
We provide case management and coaching services, resource assistance, financial literacy and empowerment workshops, career services and early childhood and youth enrichment programs.
Meet Our Founder
Ashley Fitch is a change agent who works to empower children and families by helping them break generational cycles of poverty and family trauma.
An advocate professionally, leader on purpose and serial entrepreneur, Ashley is a firm believer that people deserve more than sympathy. They deserve an empathetic force who will look beyond their crisis moment and work to address the why behind their why, which is often in direct relation to systems, practices, policies and beliefs.
Not only is Ashley a force behind the movement of Rise 2 Thrive, to bring her vision full circle she established I-AM Consulting Firm, an agency with a client driven perspective that helps business and organizations provide equitable, effective and evidence-based services to their clients.
In essence, Ashley works to empower people and create sustainable change, as well as influence policy and practice change through her work with systems and institutions.
Ashley is experienced in nonprofit leadership and has also served in the human services field and juvenile justice systems. She has spent more than 10 years of her career in positions that directly impact children and families, as well as confront inequitable systems. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and a Master of Arts in Law.
Aside from her professional endeavors, Ashley is a wife, a mother of 2 sons, a sports watcher and an avid lover of crime shows.
OUR BOARD
Dr. Janaka Bowman-Lewis
UNC Charlotte
Hannah Butler
HF Financial
Shanika Butts
Community Leader
Marques Fitch
Foundation Development
Courtney Hawkins
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Loverica Irby
University Pediatrics