By Eric Frazier
efrazier@charlotteobserver.com

Three months ago, some of the city's wealthiest philanthropists unveiled Project L.I.F.T., a five-year, $55million plan to boost achievement at West Charlotte High and seven elementary and middle schools supplying it with students.

Among those on hand for the announcement was Tiffany Capers, a vice president for the Foundation for the Carolinas, which pledged $2 million.

Capers, an African-American who lives on the westside, couldn't help but wonder: Where's the black community's contribution?

She decided to go get it.

Capers is spearheading the foundation's drive to raise $1 million from Charlotte's black community for Project L.I.F.T.

She hopes to find 1,000 African-Americans who will give $1,000. They can spread it out over five years if they choose, for a donation of $200 annually.

"It's a lot for some people, but for others, it's not that much," she said. "We as African-Americans have to support this. How can we not support our own kids, our own community?"

The schools serve predominantly black student bodies on the city's west side. They struggle with high poverty rates and lag suburban schools in achievement.

Of the nearly 7,500 students attending West Charlotte High and its feeder schools, 84 percent receive subsidized lunches. Percentages reading at or above grade level range from 44 percent to 66 percent - far less than the 88 percent of white students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools who read proficiently or pass state high school tests.

Officials behind Project L.I.F.T. say they chose West Charlotte High because, despite improvement in recent years, its 51 percent graduation rate still ranks lowest among the city's high schools.

Michael DeVaul, an executive at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, said when he received an e-mail from Capers about the effort, he went online and made a $1,000 donation.

DeVaul, an African American, pointed to new Census figures showing minorities have become the majority of Charlotte's population. He said the city's future hinges on keeping its black middle-class suburbanites engaged with inner-city communities.

Capers' call to arms "could be a galvanizing moment," he said.

Bridget Wilson also felt compelled to give, though she preferred not to say how much. An educator with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, she coaches teachers at Ranson Middle and Statesville Road Elementary, two of the schools covered by Project L.I.F.T.

She was among the first to donate.

"We can all look into our pockets and find a way to give back," she said. "No matter what people give, it says something about you as a person, and it also connects you to that effort."

The project aims to support talented educators, extend class time, beef up technology and strengthen family and community involvement.

The program is expected to provide some aid in 2011-12, with the full program taking hold in 2012-13.

Backers of the effort include the Leon Levine Foundation and the C.D.Spangler Foundation, as well as the corporate foundations of Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Duke Energy and Belk.

At the unveiling three months ago, officials said they had already secured $40.5 million in pledges and expect to secure the rest by June.

Foundation for the Carolinas officials said they remain confident the remaining pledges will be in place by then. Capers said she hopes to have the $1 million in pledges from Charlotte's African-American community by then as well.

She declined to say how much has come in so far, but urged her fellow African-Americans to consider giving.

"It really is about being heard, in a way, and making sure we are a part of this solution," she said. "We all understand that without education, we might not have the opportunities we have."
Eric Frazier: 704-358-5145 or @ericfraz on Twitter.

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