In 2005 I left a successful career in tv advertising to join the staff of A Child's Place of Charlotte, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping to erase the impact of homelessness on children and their education.

In addition to working there, I am a volunteer for the agency, tutoring homeless school children who lag behind their classmates in math or reading.

A Child's Place helped 1,509 homeless children attending 105 different Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools during the last school year, only about half of the identified homeless students.

We make sure their educational experience is as normal as possible while their lives outside of school are far from normal.

To learn more, visit: www.achildsplace.org