Vicente Estrada hasn’t worked a full-time job in nearly five years. He came to North Carolina from a violent Los Angeles neighborhood, where an abusive family environment led to drug and alcohol abuse. Though now sober, he still struggles to find work and a sense of self-worth.
Cliff Holland has been entering demolition derbies for over 20 years. During that time, he has won nearly 200 competitions, including a 1998 North Carolina state championship.
In January 2008, Ricky and Kristy Dunlap lost their home to foreclosure. Recently, the family of six was joined by Kristy's brother Randy, his wife Heather and their three children. All 11 share a 1,008-square-foot double-wide trailer in Shallotte, North Carolina.
Dressed to the nines in his Gryffindor crimson and gold, Drew Shannon was one first to arrive at Chapel Hill's Market Street Books and Maps, which hosted a jam-packed release party for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the final installment in the Harry Potter series. For Shannon, who vowed not to sleep until he had finished the book, the Potter finale is as bittersweet as it is exciting.
Threshold Clubhouse in Durham, NC is one of nine certified mental health clubhouses in North Carolina. Clubhouses are non-clinical rehabilitation programs which serve as a point of re-entry into society for many who have spent years in the state’s psychiatric hospitals.