(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) – Carolina Youth Coalition is now proudly serving students in the Southwest Charlotte area since opening its second location, made possible by a donation from CPI Security. Carolina Youth Coalition (CYC) is a nonprofit organization that nurtures and propels high-achieving, under-resourced students to and through college. CYC works with primarily first-generation college students throughout the Charlotte-area from 9th grade through college graduation.
The expansion, made possible by a generous donation from CPI Security, comes on the heels of CYC’s successful, Flourishing Fund Capacity-building campaign, which raised over $10 million.
“Opening a second location in Charlotte is a monumental step for CYC,” says Aaron Randolph, CYC’s Co-Founder and Executive Director. “Raising over $10 million through our capacity-building campaign coupled with the invaluable support from CPI Security and our dedicated donors and partners, sends a powerful message: we believe in these students, and we are committed to ensuring they have every opportunity to succeed. The challenges our Fellows face are immense, and while this progress is inspiring, there is still so much more work to be done. This momentum will drive us forward as we continue critical efforts and fundraising to support these students.”
Since its inception in 2018, CYC has served more than 450 “Fellows” at its East Charlotte location. Fellows are rewriting the narrative of what’s possible, as 82% of them are the first in their families to attend college. CYC Fellows will be attending or have graduated from 56 colleges in 22 states, including institutions like Brown University, Duke University, Howard University, North Carolina A&T, Rice University, and UNC Chapel Hill. They have earned over $17 million in scholarships and grants with 75% of fellows attending college debt-free.
The impact of a college degree reverberates far beyond the individual, it transforms families, uplifts communities, and fosters generational change. Every CYC Fellow who thrives in college and beyond is a testament to what’s possible when talent is met with opportunity. Our expansion to Southwest Charlotte ensures that even more students will have the support they need to matriculate into and graduate from college and enter the workforce.
CPI Security’s donation of meeting and program space on its campus for CYC’s second location, coupled with the volunteer efforts of its employees, underscores a shared commitment to creating pathways to success for CYC Fellows. CYC plans to grow to serve 500 local high school students annually, including at least 150 at the new southwest campus by 2028.
“We are so excited to partner with CYC, a results-driven organization with a proven track record in our community,” CEO and Founder of CPI Security, Ken Gill said. “They’ve had tremendous success under the leadership of Co-Founders, Aaron Randolph and Kathryn Kissam, and with the continued financial support of the Charlotte community, we will expand on promoting our young people to earning a college degree, an opportunity they may not have otherwise had.”
About CPI Security
CPI Security is the largest privately held security and home automation company in the Southeast. Its purpose is rooted in helping customers gain peace of mind by protecting what matters most to them, all while staying connected to home. CPI Security prides itself on providing top-of-the-line services like professional installation, 24/7 customer support, and all-in-one smart security that’s controlled through a single app. CPI remains at the forefront of the industry by continuously adopting technologies that work in unison to provide customers with a proactive security system that supports their flagship professional monitoring and emergency response service, Real Time Response. Because of its strong relationship with local first responders and the utilization of audio and video alarm verification, CPI Security uses Real Time Response to get the authorities there faster in an emergency. Since Ken Gill founded the company in 1991, CPI has claimed awards and accolades such as 2023 Monitoring Center of the Year, SIAC’s 2023 Police Quality Dispatch Award, 2019 SDM Dealer of the Year, Marvel Award, and a recurring winner of Best Places to Work in North and South Carolina. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, CPI Security protects homes and businesses across the Carolinas and in parts of Georgia and Tennessee.
About Carolina Youth Coalition
Carolina Youth Coalition (CYC) is a non-profit organization in Charlotte, NC that nurtures and propels high-achieving, under-resourced students to and through college. Founded in January 2018 by Aaron Randolph and Kathryn Kissam through a generous donation from the Albemarle Foundation, CYC works to improve economic mobility in Charlotte by eliminating barriers to accessing and completing education through a continuum of support for promising first-generation high school and college students. CYC is modeled after the highly successful efforts of the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition which has grown to become the most comprehensive college readiness program in Baton Rouge, LA, and surrounding areas since 2009.
