IMPACT is an interfaith organization in Charlottesville, Virginia dedicated to more equitable living for Charlottesville residents. Founded in 2006, they focus on three different categories: affordable housing, preschool and child care, and environmental action based on a love for creation. IMPACT is composed of twenty drive congregations in the Charlottesville area driven for change in the community.
IMPACT focuses on action in the Charlottesville area as opposed to charitable services. “We focus on addressing the root causes and the systemic reasons that cause people to need charity. We empower local leaders to identify community problems, develop solutions, and negotiate publicly with the decision-makers who can implement these solutions” (IMPACT).
One of the biggest ways IMPACT rallies support is through gatherings anyone in the community can attend. They hold the Nehemiah Action Assembly in the spring when nearly “1,000 community members come together to push our community leaders to make commitments to address these problems we’re facing”, Eli Krakow, IMPACT Lead Organizer, shared with KTR.
The Nehemiah Action Assembly is held in the MLK PAC and is open to all people; the more who come, the more pressure it puts on public officials to meet the needs of Charlottesville residents. The next Nehemiah Action will take place on March 18, 2024, and IMPACT aims to host at least 1,200 people at the event.
Other public events are the Community Problems Assembly on October 24, 2023 and the Justice Celebration on June 6, 2024. The Community Assembly is held at Church of the Incarnation, and the Celebration at IX Park.
Mr. Krakow has experienced “ a lot of positive changes [in Charlottesville] since IMPACT was founded in 2006. Tens of millions of dollars have been committed to affordable housing, bus routes and schedules have been extended. Necessary services have been provided through both the Free Dental Clinic as well as residential drug treatment center.”
This is the tangible evidence of IMPACT’s work, but the community shifts Mr. Krakow has experienced speak to the deeper changes this ministry is having. “Something I see personally as we work towards all of those things is that in the process of doing so, this work brings us together as a community to hopefully create a more relational, unified, and caring Charlottesville.”
This change falls in line with the mission of IMPACT as an organization called “to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).
“We believe that doing justice is a core part of our faith traditions and yet one that is often overlooked…Through building the power of organized people, we believe we will transform greater Charlottesville so that justice can and will be realized by all” (IMPACT mission statement).
