A truly historic partnership has been formed between the city of Kannapolis and the Prosperity Unlimited Community Development Corporation — with financial support from the Initiative.
The joint venture is part of “No Citizen Left Behind,” a program designed to ensure that all Kannapolis citizens are prepared to benefit from changes in the economy resulting from a transition from textiles to higher-tech fields.
With the closing of the Pillowtex textile plant in 2003, Kannapolis lost about 4,800 jobs, the largest mass layoff in state history. Three years later, that property is being transformed into a $1.5 billion biotech research campus. But are local workers ready to reap the benefits? That’s where “No Citizen Left Behind” comes in.
“It’s a remarkable partnership between local government and several others, including Prosperity,” says Louise Mack, a director of Prosperity Unlimited CDC. “Together we will help train workers for new skills and ensure that nearby housing remains affordable while a new, more-educated workforce is being employed. The key is the public-private relationship. This is really special.” |
At the outset, the project is slated to last three years with initial funding of $300,000, including money from the Initiative and the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. Mack said she hopes the scope of the program grows once its success is demonstrated. In the early phases of the program, Prosperity will concentrate on surveying residents about their job skills and exploring neighborhoods that surround the research campus to learn what could make them more livable. |
Prosperity Unlimited already is credited with making vast improvements in the Bethel community. Mack says she hopes similar success can be achieved in the areas adjacent to the research campus, including the James Street neighborhood.
“We’re extremely proud of our association with No Citizen Left Behind in Kannapolis,” said Abdul Rasheed, CEO of the Initiative. “This is the kind of forward-looking partnership that will make our communities stronger.” |
An estimated 4,800 workers in Cabarrus and Rowan Counties were displaced when Fieldcrest Cannon Mill in Kannapolis, then owned by Pillowtex Inc., closed its doors on July 30, 2003.
One of eleven affordable single-family homes built by
Prosperity in 2006, located in the Allytin Subdivision. |
