For the past several weeks Qnotes has attempted to get clarification from Carolinas CARE Partnership (CCP) interim executive director Tawana Denmark on the departure of two key employees, Shannon Farrar and Bethany Corrigan. In question is how those staff changes might impact the organization, its future plans and a recent grant of $2 million from The Mackenzie Scott Foundation, which is helmed by the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Mackenzie Scott. A novelist and philanthropist, her estimated financial value is reportedly $34.7 billion dollars.
Farrar has reportedly gone completely under the radar and has been unreachable for any sort of comment. Community chatter has yielded only that her departure was related to “human resource issues.”
On the CCP website, which shows Farrar as still in her ED role despite her departure (as confirmed by Denmark) are words she shared in apparent better times about her dedication to CCP and its mission:
“I have been with Carolinas CARE Partnership since 2006 and have been Executive Director since 2015. My entire career has been spent working in HIV in the Charlotte region. I have a passion for HIV Prevention, Treatment, and Housing. I believe in trauma-informed care, strengths-based services, the dignity of every single person, and that love will always win…
“I am honored and privileged to do this work – work that I love, work that I am passionate about, and work that makes a real difference in the lives of the people we serve. I thank our board, our staff, our funders, our community partners, and our clients for trusting me to have a grand vision for our organization and our community, and for sharing their gifts in making it come true.”
Unusual that the website remains largely unchanged and that the CCP board has not seen fit to issue a statement about an executive director who has been, according to her own words, deeply dedicated to their organization for so long.
A visit by Qnotes publisher Jim Yarbrough to the offices of CCP was met by an intern who indicated that only one staff member was present and all others were on “spring break.”
Corrigan responded briefly by text and said more details would be forthcoming “in a couple of weeks.” At the time of this writing (May 21) three weeks have passed and there has been no reply to any further attempts of contact from Qnotes.
This message from Corrigan, however, was posted to the social media platform Discord:
“A few weeks ago, I made the decision to move out of my role as director with CCP/of Transcend. The time and space that I’ve shared with you all over the past few years has edified my soul and filled my heart. Our community means more to me than I could ever express. While it’s time for me to move on to other opportunities, I will forever be committed to the mission of Transcend [and] ‘equity and social justice’ for our folx.
“I promise to you all that I will remain committed to that mission and my work moving forward. Our communities are tight [knit] and I know our paths will cross many times [o]ver. You will always be my chosen family. I am a board member of the LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce and will continue to partner with local LGBTQ+ organizations on some exciting projects coming up for our communities … I can’t wait to share space with you one way or another very soon.”
Corrigan’s post – with no specific reason for departure or future plans – seems unusually vague.
Multiple sources throughout the community who would only speak on condition of anonymity purport that Corrigan had initially attempted to restart Transcend through various other nonprofits around the Charlotte Metro area with the hopes of retaining the aforementioned grant. However, Carolinas CARE Partnership will reportedly hold on to the funding for programming identified by Yield Giving (the financial listing page for The Mackenzie Scott Foundation) as access to housing and housing development, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental and behavioral health and access to healthcare.
After several weeks of back and forth communication with CCP, while declining to answer most of Qnotes’ questions directly, CCP finally responded to Qnotes via email with the following statement from Denmark:
“Carolinas CARE Partnership looks forward to a summer of programming and events, all dedicated to furthering our mission of seeking justice through health and housing. In addition to our year-long programs focused on areas like housing services, gender identity programs, mental health, and substance abuse, we’re excited to support AIDS WALK Charlotte in May, celebrate National HIV Testing Day in June, and host Queer Prom around Charlotte Pride Week in August.”
In a statement released to the social media website Eventbrite, CCP confirmed they were delaying their annual Queer Prom, but would instead hold it later in the year.
“We have experienced some logistical challenges and changes in leadership and have made the strategic decision to postpone Queer Prom until Pride Month in August. We believe this timing will give us adequate time to resolve all issues and ensure that the event is most successful. Timing it as a pre-Pride celebration will just add to our experience of that time of acknowledgement for the community. We remain steadfast in our commitment to the core values and mission of Queer Prom and commit to making it an unforgettable celebration of love, acceptance, and diversity.
“We do understand that this news may come as a disappointment, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience it may cause. While we are excited about our plans [for] Queer Prom, we understand that the change in date may impact your ability to participate as a sponsor/vendor. If you find that this is the case, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for a refund or to discuss alternative arrangements.”
In a phone conversation with Qnotes, Denmark confirmed that Transcend remains a part of CCP.
Corrigan’s post, although vague, infers plans to continue with work in a similar manner as done in the role of director while serving with Transcend. Talk among the LGBTQ+ youth community has suggested that includes moving forward with a Queer Prom, as originally scheduled.
Now about that $2 million grant awarded to CCP from The Mackenzie Scott Foundation: at press time, Qnotes reached out to the organization to confirm its status, but a representative was unavailable for comment.