Council on Adolescents of Catawba County

06/12/2026

Staff Favorites 🏆

✨ Today we’re featuring Jordan and some of her absolute go-tos.
From local eats to her favorite reads, here is what’s topping her list lately:

Lunch Spot: 🍽️
Coffee Shop: Taste Full Beans Coffee, Tea, Cafe ☕️
Book: The Let Them Theory

06/11/2026

06/11/2026

🌟 Celebrating 6 Years of Impact! 🌟

Please join us in giving a massive thank you and congratulations to Kari Dunlap! 👏 Kari was recently awarded a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of her incredible 6 years of service and dedication to the Council on Adolescents Board of Directors.

Kari’s leadership, passion, and commitment have helped shape our mission and support the youth in our community. We are incredibly grateful for the time, energy, and heart she has poured into COA.

Thank you, Kari for everything you do to champion our local teens! 💙✨

06/11/2026

💜🥪 Lunch Buddy Program: 25/26 School Year Recap! 🥪💜

This year, the Council on Adolescents' Lunch Buddy Program continued to make a lasting impact by connecting caring adults with students who benefit from positive encouragement, support, and mentorship.

📚 Across 21 schools in Catawba County, including elementary, middle, and high schools, 87 students were matched with 82 dedicated mentors who met with them weekly throughout the school year.

A Lunch Buddy is more than a mentor—they are a trusted adult who listens, encourages, and helps students build confidence, resilience, and meaningful connections. Sometimes, sharing a lunch can change a life.

We are incredibly grateful to our volunteer mentors, school partners, and community supporters who help make this program possible. Your commitment is creating brighter futures and stronger communities, one relationship at a time.

💜 Together, we're inspiring today's youth to be physically and emotionally healthy through connection, support, and mentorship.

Interested in becoming a mentor next school year? We'd love to have you join our Lunch Buddy family!

06/10/2026

Jordan and Bunny had the pleasure of attending the Catawba County United Way “Giving from the Heart” luncheon today—a wonderful event celebrating those who go above and beyond for our community.
A special congratulations to Randy, a longtime Lunch Buddy mentor nominated by the Council On Adolescents. We are incredibly grateful for Randy’s heart for service and his continued, invaluable support of our mission. Thank you for all that you do, Randy!

06/10/2026

🦉Wisdom Wednesday🦉

At the end of each Healthy Youth Education class, students are given a post test and the last question is, What will you remember most about this week?

Here is a quote from an 6th Grade Student

06/09/2026

The Council on Adolescents' Youth Leadership Council worked on creating a Service Learning Project this past school year. They created an amazing Mental Heath website, a website created for teens by teens.

-->https://coayouthleaders.org

06/08/2026

💜🍎 Open up something meaningful this school year! 🍎💚

The Lunch Buddy Program is now recruiting mentors for the 2026–2027 school year! Just one lunch period a week can make a lifelong impact for a student in Catawba County.

✨ In 2025, the program served 87 students with the help of 82 mentors across all three school systems in Catawba County.

Become a mentor and help students build confidence, connection, and encouragement that lasts beyond the lunch table.

Learn more or sign up today:
www.coacatawba.org/lunch-buddy

Questions? Contact Bunny Eaton:
📧 [email protected]
📞 828.322.4591
📱 Text: 828.999.9065

06/05/2026

Staff Favorites 🏆

✨ Today we’re featuring Kendall and some of her absolute go-tos.

From local eats to her favorite reads, here is what’s topping her list lately:

Lunch Spot: Palm Berries🍽️
Coffee Shop: @themorningglorycoffee ☕️

06/04/2026

📚✨ Healthy Youth Education: 25/26 School Year Recap! ✨📚

This school year, the Council on Adolescents' Healthy Youth Education Program reached 5,320 students across 43 schools throughout Catawba County, providing age-appropriate, medically accurate education that empowers young people to make healthy decisions for their future.

From learning about puberty and personal health to building healthy relationships, understanding boundaries, and developing lifelong decision-making skills, our program equips youth with the knowledge and confidence they need to thrive.

📈 Students demonstrated a 58% increase in knowledge after participating in our program, showing the impact that quality education can have on the lives of young people.

We are grateful to our school partners, educators, families, and supporters who help make this work possible. Together, we're investing in healthier futures for the youth of Catawba County—one classroom at a time.

💜 Thank you for helping us inspire today's youth to be physically and emotionally healthy through education, awareness, and advocacy.