MLK ‘Keeper of the Dream’ award honors CMS employee who helps at risk children

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One of our award winners is carrying on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream by helping to pass it on to the next generation.

Carlenia Ivory works for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools helping children who are at risk get the tools they need to learn.

As a family and community services specialist, Ivory helps connect children and families in CMS with whatever they need to succeed. She knows the struggle many families face because she lived it.

“A lot of the families I work with I can relate to,” Ivory said. “I was the oldest of 9, raised my brothers and sisters. These families, you don’t know what you don’t know. And they want to do better. But sometimes, they don’t have the tools and the resources to do so, so I feel I’m making a difference. I measure my success by the lives I positively impact and that these people are better people after we help them and they can pay it forward.”

In the video at the top of the page, Eyewitness News anchor Scott Wickersham shows us how one remarkable Charlotte woman is giving love and working hard to change young lives.

The Dr. Martin Luther King National Holiday Celebration

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