Join us for this special time of storytelling.
Storytelling brings us together as a community and that’s what The Joseph Initiative wants to do.
This month our featured speaker, Harriet Ray, will be talking about her experiences with the Civil Rights movement in Asheville. Harriet Ray is an Asheville native who has spent the majority of her life giving back to the community. She is married to Deacon Nathan Ray, and they have two daughters, as well as two grandchildren. Mrs. Ray attributes her love of education to her grandmother. She is the decent of Viola Barnette of Madison County in Mars Hill, NC. She was instrumental in getting secondary education in Mars Hill by requesting buses so black students would have transportation. Her work and picture is displayed in an exhibit at UNC Chapel Hill.
Mrs. Ray was educated in the Asheville City School System. She attended Livingston College in Salisbury, NC. She received a BA degree in intermediate education, and went on to teach 4th grade for 7 years in Salisbury. She later attended UNC Charlotte for her certification in teaching the gifted and talented and Western Carolina University for a math certification. She is a member of Beta Lamda Zeta of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (President for 4 years and held many other offices). In 1999, she was awarded Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Ray was featured in the newspaper, television and radio many times. She also taught science and history at UNCA during the summer for the academically gifted.
Mrs. Ray has traveled extensively around the country including Canada. She used her travel experiences in the classroom to open up new experiences and cultures to her students. She was also able to take her students to historical places such as Williamsburg and Jamestown Virginia, Washington DC and the MLK exhibit in Atlanta Georgia. Mrs. Ray was one of those rare teachers who had the ability to take her life and hobbies and use them to help educate others.
She taught at William Randolph for 18 years and RB Jones. After retirement, she served as an interim teacher at RB Jones for two years and then taught math and reading for 4 more years. Harriet Ray was Who’s Who Among American Teachers for 6 years. She was inducted into the National Teacher’s Honor Society and is a member of the NC Teacher’s Association.
Everyone will have the opportunity to share during the group discussion time.
Evening’s Agenda:
5:00-5:30pm Children’s Story Time
5:30-6:00pm Light Dinner
6:00-7:30pm Adult Storyteller and Group Discussion
Please RSVP below so we can make sure there’s enough food for everyone.
Young children are invited too!
For parents with young children, there will be a special Children’s Story time at the beginning of the program.
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Mark Your Calendars for These What’s Your Story? Storytelling Events:
August 23rd: How do we come together as a community to talk about difficult issues? Also, journaling/narrative storytelling
September 20th: Student Panel, Giving Young Adults a Voice Beyond Social Media
October 18th: What it’s like to be a chef in Asheville – Prelude to Y.E.S. Chef Competition
Would your business like to sponsor one of these evening storytelling events? Please contact Karen Cowan at [email protected] or by phone.
Everyone in the community is invited and welcome!
RSVP Now:
The Board of Directors meets every third Monday of the month. Meetings start promptly at 5:30pm and end at 6:45pm.
Join us for this special time of storytelling.
Storytelling brings us together as a community and that’s what The Joseph Initiative wants to do.
This month our featured speaker, Harriet Ray, will be talking about her experiences with the Civil Rights movement in Asheville. Harriet Ray is an Asheville native who has spent the majority of her life giving back to the community. She is married to Deacon Nathan Ray, and they have two daughters, as well as two grandchildren. Mrs. Ray attributes her love of education to her grandmother. She is the decent of Viola Barnette of Madison County in Mars Hill, NC. She was instrumental in getting secondary education in Mars Hill by requesting buses so black students would have transportation. Her work and picture is displayed in an exhibit at UNC Chapel Hill.
Mrs. Ray was educated in the Asheville City School System. She attended Livingston College in Salisbury, NC. She received a BA degree in intermediate education, and went on to teach 4th grade for 7 years in Salisbury. She later attended UNC Charlotte for her certification in teaching the gifted and talented and Western Carolina University for a math certification. She is a member of Beta Lamda Zeta of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (President for 4 years and held many other offices). In 1999, she was awarded Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Ray was featured in the newspaper, television and radio many times. She also taught science and history at UNCA during the summer for the academically gifted.
Mrs. Ray has traveled extensively around the country including Canada. She used her travel experiences in the classroom to open up new experiences and cultures to her students. She was also able to take her students to historical places such as Williamsburg and Jamestown Virginia, Washington DC and the MLK exhibit in Atlanta Georgia. Mrs. Ray was one of those rare teachers who had the ability to take her life and hobbies and use them to help educate others.
She taught at William Randolph for 18 years and RB Jones. After retirement, she served as an interim teacher at RB Jones for two years and then taught math and reading for 4 more years. Harriet Ray was Who’s Who Among American Teachers for 6 years. She was inducted into the National Teacher’s Honor Society and is a member of the NC Teacher’s Association.
Everyone will have the opportunity to share during the group discussion time.
Evening’s Agenda:
5:00-5:30pm Children’s Story Time
5:30-6:00pm Light Dinner
6:00-7:30pm Adult Storyteller and Group Discussion
Please RSVP below so we can make sure there’s enough food for everyone.
Young children are invited too!
For parents with young children, there will be a special Children’s Story time at the beginning of the program.
![]()
Mark Your Calendars for These What’s Your Story? Storytelling Events:
August 23rd: How do we come together as a community to talk about difficult issues? Also, journaling/narrative storytelling
September 20th: Student Panel, Giving Young Adults a Voice Beyond Social Media
October 18th: What it’s like to be a chef in Asheville – Prelude to Y.E.S. Chef Competition
Would your business like to sponsor one of these evening storytelling events? Please contact Karen Cowan at [email protected] or by phone.
Everyone in the community is invited and welcome!
RSVP Now:
The Board of Directors meets every third Monday of the month. Meetings start promptly at 5:30pm and end at 6:45pm.
Join us for this special time of storytelling.
Storytelling brings us together as a community and that’s what The Joseph Initiative wants to do.
This month our featured speaker, Harriet Ray, will be talking about her experiences with the Civil Rights movement in Asheville. Harriet Ray is an Asheville native who has spent the majority of her life giving back to the community. She is married to Deacon Nathan Ray, and they have two daughters, as well as two grandchildren. Mrs. Ray attributes her love of education to her grandmother. She is the decent of Viola Barnette of Madison County in Mars Hill, NC. She was instrumental in getting secondary education in Mars Hill by requesting buses so black students would have transportation. Her work and picture is displayed in an exhibit at UNC Chapel Hill.
Mrs. Ray was educated in the Asheville City School System. She attended Livingston College in Salisbury, NC. She received a BA degree in intermediate education, and went on to teach 4th grade for 7 years in Salisbury. She later attended UNC Charlotte for her certification in teaching the gifted and talented and Western Carolina University for a math certification. She is a member of Beta Lamda Zeta of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (President for 4 years and held many other offices). In 1999, she was awarded Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Ray was featured in the newspaper, television and radio many times. She also taught science and history at UNCA during the summer for the academically gifted.
Mrs. Ray has traveled extensively around the country including Canada. She used her travel experiences in the classroom to open up new experiences and cultures to her students. She was also able to take her students to historical places such as Williamsburg and Jamestown Virginia, Washington DC and the MLK exhibit in Atlanta Georgia. Mrs. Ray was one of those rare teachers who had the ability to take her life and hobbies and use them to help educate others.
She taught at William Randolph for 18 years and RB Jones. After retirement, she served as an interim teacher at RB Jones for two years and then taught math and reading for 4 more years. Harriet Ray was Who’s Who Among American Teachers for 6 years. She was inducted into the National Teacher’s Honor Society and is a member of the NC Teacher’s Association.
Everyone will have the opportunity to share during the group discussion time.
Evening’s Agenda:
5:00-5:30pm Children’s Story Time
5:30-6:00pm Light Dinner
6:00-7:30pm Adult Storyteller and Group Discussion
Please RSVP below so we can make sure there’s enough food for everyone.
Young children are invited too!
For parents with young children, there will be a special Children’s Story time at the beginning of the program.
![]()
Mark Your Calendars for These What’s Your Story? Storytelling Events:
August 23rd: How do we come together as a community to talk about difficult issues? Also, journaling/narrative storytelling
September 20th: Student Panel, Giving Young Adults a Voice Beyond Social Media
October 18th: What it’s like to be a chef in Asheville – Prelude to Y.E.S. Chef Competition
Would your business like to sponsor one of these evening storytelling events? Please contact Karen Cowan at [email protected] or by phone.
Everyone in the community is invited and welcome!
RSVP Now:
The Board of Directors meets every third Monday of the month. Meetings start promptly at 5:30pm and end at 6:45pm.
Join us for this special time of storytelling.
Storytelling brings us together as a community and that’s what The Joseph Initiative wants to do.
This month our featured speaker, Harriet Ray, will be talking about her experiences with the Civil Rights movement in Asheville. Harriet Ray is an Asheville native who has spent the majority of her life giving back to the community. She is married to Deacon Nathan Ray, and they have two daughters, as well as two grandchildren. Mrs. Ray attributes her love of education to her grandmother. She is the decent of Viola Barnette of Madison County in Mars Hill, NC. She was instrumental in getting secondary education in Mars Hill by requesting buses so black students would have transportation. Her work and picture is displayed in an exhibit at UNC Chapel Hill.
Mrs. Ray was educated in the Asheville City School System. She attended Livingston College in Salisbury, NC. She received a BA degree in intermediate education, and went on to teach 4th grade for 7 years in Salisbury. She later attended UNC Charlotte for her certification in teaching the gifted and talented and Western Carolina University for a math certification. She is a member of Beta Lamda Zeta of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. (President for 4 years and held many other offices). In 1999, she was awarded Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Ray was featured in the newspaper, television and radio many times. She also taught science and history at UNCA during the summer for the academically gifted.
Mrs. Ray has traveled extensively around the country including Canada. She used her travel experiences in the classroom to open up new experiences and cultures to her students. She was also able to take her students to historical places such as Williamsburg and Jamestown Virginia, Washington DC and the MLK exhibit in Atlanta Georgia. Mrs. Ray was one of those rare teachers who had the ability to take her life and hobbies and use them to help educate others.
She taught at William Randolph for 18 years and RB Jones. After retirement, she served as an interim teacher at RB Jones for two years and then taught math and reading for 4 more years. Harriet Ray was Who’s Who Among American Teachers for 6 years. She was inducted into the National Teacher’s Honor Society and is a member of the NC Teacher’s Association.
Everyone will have the opportunity to share during the group discussion time.
Evening’s Agenda:
5:00-5:30pm Children’s Story Time
5:30-6:00pm Light Dinner
6:00-7:30pm Adult Storyteller and Group Discussion
Please RSVP below so we can make sure there’s enough food for everyone.
Young children are invited too!
For parents with young children, there will be a special Children’s Story time at the beginning of the program.
![]()
Mark Your Calendars for These What’s Your Story? Storytelling Events:
August 23rd: How do we come together as a community to talk about difficult issues? Also, journaling/narrative storytelling
September 20th: Student Panel, Giving Young Adults a Voice Beyond Social Media
October 18th: What it’s like to be a chef in Asheville – Prelude to Y.E.S. Chef Competition
Would your business like to sponsor one of these evening storytelling events? Please contact Karen Cowan at [email protected] or by phone.
Everyone in the community is invited and welcome!
RSVP Now:
The Y.E.S. Chef! Youth Culinary Program and Competition is one of our Brighter Futures Youth Enrichment Service programs.
The Details
- We team up four high school students with the chef at a participating restaurant where he/she mentors them in the fundamentals of culinary technique.
- While working in the restaurant they learn to create two healthy food items that will be presented in a culinary competition.
- On November 3, 2018, the students and their restaurant mentors will participate in a competition at A-B Tech.
- The winner of the competition holds bragging rights for one year!
Watch for upcoming program details and ticket sales!
The Board of Directors meets every third Monday of the month. Meetings start promptly at 5:30pm and end at 6:45pm.
The Board of Directors meets every third Monday of the month. Meetings start promptly at 5:30pm and end at 6:45pm.