- [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

(gentle music) - Just ahead on Carolina Impact, school districts use special affordable housing in hopes of attracting and keeping teachers.

Plus, how a major bank teaches local kids life skills through sports.

And I hope you taste buds already, because we explore how two regional chocolatiers make treats you just can't resist.

Carolina Impact starts now.

(upbeat music) Good evening.

Thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Amy Burkett.

Big city school systems like Charlotte Mecklenburg, and small town school systems in rural areas all share a common problem, how to attract the best new teachers, while keeping current teachers from leaving for better paying jobs somewhere else.

Now they're trying something new, offering affordable housing for teachers only, hoping that teachers who want to live here will also want to work here.

Carolina Impact's Jeff Sonier, and videographer Max Arnell show us what CMS is planning here in the queen city, and where it's already working elsewhere.

- Yeah, school systems here in the Carolina's don't have much of a say when it comes to raising teacher pay.

Most of those decisions made by lawmakers in Raleigh and Columbia.

But here's another idea.

How about schools using other financial tools to help make those teacher dollars go further, especially when it comes to the high cost of housing.

- [Genita] School is a safe haven, and I also attended Northridge when I was in middle school.

- [Jeff] Genita Nashville is a CMS success story.

A former student here, now a teacher here.

- [Genita] I felt a duty to come back because skills can't be passed on unless you kind of develop them as a educator yourself.

- [Jeff] Nashville seeing her former self in the middle schoolers she now works with.

- I don't know, she just motivates me every day.

You gonna go to class right there, you gonna go?

She motivates me every day.

She's the reason I get outta my bed and come here every day.

- But just being able to be that guiding light because at one point when I was here, I had to have that guided light and I had to have someone that was willing to take that time to say, "Hey, today's gonna be a good day."

- [Jeff] But teachers who make a difference in their students' lives, well, they also have to make ends meet in their own lives.

Nashville says she spends half of her monthly teacher's paycheck just on rent.

Is it harder today to make a living as a teacher than it was when you started?

- With the local prices increasing, cost of living is changing, being able to go to sleep at night and knowing that your home is safe and knowing that you're not in a problematic neighborhood, it's important.

(gentle music) - When the district surveyed our teachers, 93% said they are most concerned about housing costs, and another 61% said housing may impact whether or not they continue to work with CMS.

- [Jeff] That's why CMS leaders are launching this new program called At Home in CMS, working with business partners to offer teachers reduced rent on nearly 2000 existing local apartments.

Those who want to buy a home can also qualify for special low pricing, and bank financing on town homes for teachers.

And CMS has plans for its own $30 million affordable housing complex, with rental homes built for CMS by CMS, all on CMS property.

- The final phase of this development is a first of its kind Charlotte Mecklenburg Educator Community.

We're exploring possible realtian models for the design and financing of this complex.

- [Jeff] But south of Charlotte here in Winnsboro, where the town's entire population is less than some Charlotte high schools, well they've already figured out how to help solve their teacher housing problem.

- Every time I come out here, Jeff, honestly, I just am so excited what our foundation was able to piece together.

- [Jeff] Dr.

Sue Rex chairs the Fairfield County Education Foundation, walking us past these rocking chair front porches and wooded screen porches out back, an entire neighborhood of new homes all built just for teachers.

- And in Winnsboro it's difficult to find affordable, attractive housing at a price that teachers can afford.

And so it was from that we birthed the idea of teacher housing.

- [Jeff] After a year of clearing lots and paving streets, South Carolina's first ever teachers only neighborhood finally had its move in day back in August.

For Winnsboro it's also the town's first new housing development in decades.

- Well, up until now we've been able to build 16 homes.

Eight of them are one story and eight are two story.

And we are very much hoping to raise enough money that we can build nine more for next school academic year.

The one story homes for this year are rent at $700 a month, and the two story at 900 a month.

- [Jeff] That's a difference maker.

That's a real game changer I suppose for a lot of teachers.

- It really is and we think that most of them are probably saving a thousand a month.

- [Jeff] Dr.

Rex says on the 22 acres donated by the school system, there's enough room for 50 homes in all, including this technology center where teachers can take online training courses.

And it's all located right next door to Fairfield Central High School and middle school.

- We have a waiting list of teachers who want to be here.

I think some of them kind of stood back thinking, I don't know if I'd like living there, but they hear their colleagues say it's great.

- Here's our living room space, and we have our dining room area over here, and the kitchen is over here.

All of the appliances came with the house.

- [Jeff] Kamilah Cook takes us on a tour of her new teacher's only home, along with her husband Juan Alvarado.

- And how many bedrooms are we talking about?

- There are three bedrooms.

- Kamilah and Juan are newly weds, and new teachers too.

They say the offer from Fairfield County of a job and a place to live right out of college makes Winnsboro a win-win for them.

- And where are we here now?

- This is the master bedroom, and we have our walk-in closet on this side and the master bathroom on this side.

- [Jeff] Did you ever think you'd have an opportunity to be in a brand new house as a brand new teacher?

- Oh no.

Oh no.

This is truly a blessing.

- Yeah.

- They reached out with this opportunity, and at first I had to like wipe my eyes and say that can't be true.

Like most of my classmates already signed a contract with other school district.

- [Jeff] But teacher housing here in the Fairfield district also means this couple can start saving now for what they really want, a future home of their own.

- We have a goal in mind and this is only the first step.

- I feel more than fortunate.

- [Jeff] It's a similar story for Victor Hernandez, a 10 year teacher and soccer coach here in Winnsboro, who moved with his family to this one story home for teachers only.

- My whole family loves the idea of being here now.

- [Jeff] And what would you tell other teachers about this program?

- [Victor] If you're part of that community, that makes your job easier and better, more effective.

- Housing developments for those type of situations are a big help and if help is offered to me, I'm definitely gonna be willing to take it.

- Now, school systems big and small say they won't stop lobbying lawmakers for higher teacher pay, but housing help for teachers is simply one more way to help convince the very best teachers to stay.

Amy.

- Thank you, Jeff.

We've got more information about the teacher housing programs at both CMS and in Fairfield County, South Carolina.

Just click on the Carolina Impact links at our website, pbscharlotte.org.

As we continue to highlight people pouring into our children, when you think of banking, what comes to mind?

Chances are it's all the usual things like checking and savings accounts, home mortgages, personal loans and so on.

But teaching life skills through sports to kids?

Not something you'd expect to be on that list.

Carolina Impact's Jason Terzis joins us with more.

- Well, as most of us are already aware, the queen city is the second largest banking city in the United States, trailing only New York City, and has a growing financial technology, or FinTech industry.

But not everything the banks do has to do with finances, as we recently found out at Bank of America Stadium.

(upbeat music) (rain splattering) Raindrops were falling everywhere, the camera lens needed periodic wiping.

- Listen, the weather did not cooperate.

- [Jason] But those who were at Bank of America Stadium on this soggy morning didn't seem to mind, at least not too much.

- Alright, now lull me to sleep, and then explode dynamic like, okay?

Here we go.

- [Jason] Then again, it would be a little tough to complain when three time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion, Heather O'Reilly, was here teaching kids the game of soccer.

- [Commentator] Nice pick back, O'Reilly's in the shot, scores.

(indistinct) USA leads.

(crowd cheering) - Today, for me, was all about just giving 'em a little bit of exposure to the game and hopefully they'll take a little bit with them going forward.

- O'Reilly just one of many famous retired athletes on hand for Bank of America's Sports With Us, a program designed on a philosophy to inspire, connect and impact communities through athletics.

- Well, we are so excited to bring Sports With Us.

For all of us at Bank of America, we know that we can take advantage of sports, and really legendary figures who have pursued excellence in their profession.

- I'm so thankful that Bank of America understands the importance of this, and they're giving me an opportunity and some of the other guys and ladies here, an opportunity to really be present and work with these kids with those initiatives.

- [Jason] Around 120 fifth graders from Bewick Elementary School in West Charlotte, running through the inflatable Panther head and out onto the field, where they rotated through various interactive stations.

- Kind of a little bit of every sport, football, soccer, and maybe some NASCAR, because we went inside at first and did some NASCAR's.

- [Jason] The kids learning all sorts of skills, like how to change up NASCAR race tire.

(wrench whirring) Hit golf balls, shoot hoops with Charlotte Hornet's legend Dell Curry, and toss footballs with former Carolina Panthers All Pro Thomas Davis.

- [Commentator] Aaron Rogers lost the pass, intercepted Thomas Davis.

- And fortunately you get to show us how accurate you are throwing it in the rain, which a lot of NFL quarterbacks struggle with too.

So I want you guys to have fun doing this.

We know that it's gonna be difficult, but that's what makes it fun, all right.

- We love this field trip very much and this is our very first field trip in fifth grade, so it's really like very cool and it's very nice.

- We're in the course right now, try to throw some football into some holes.

I still haven't made any, but the only reason I haven't made any is because the football's slippery.

- Oh, that was almost in.

Oh, we got one.

We got one, we got one.

Good job.

- Well, as you know, this is our hometown, and healthy communities create greatness for us and our customers.

And so to encourage kids to participate, and compete their lifelong lessons here and we're just thrilled that we have the partners like the Carolina Panthers really to help us and share a commitment to young people.

- [Jason] The Sports With Us clinics take place across multiple US cities each year.

Over the next decade the goal of the program is to positively influence the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids, giving them important tools to help set them up for success, whether it's in sports, or in the game of life.

- You know, I've had the opportunity to work with them, with the things that they've been doing within the community for the last three or four years, and it's a truly special opportunity for me.

- I think that sport is a huge part of your life, and it can provide so many things, all the things that we all know about, right, like a healthy lifestyle, working together, overcoming adversity.

- From leadership to teamwork, to coaching and just continued commitment to pursuing excellence.

- When you're taking your shot, I want you to be on balance, okay?

So if you feel like you need to take an extra dribble, that's fine, I would more prefer you to be on balance.

Alright, let's see it.

- [Jason] While the kids may be a little too young to remember Heather O'Reilly or Thomas Davis during your heydays on the playing field, they didn't seem to mind, even if they didn't realize the life lessons they were learning in the process.

- If they don't realize it in the moment, that's fine, because they're here to play.

That's an escape.

They're here to work with their teammates and meet new people.

So if they don't realize that it's happening, it's fine.

It's sort of a message that's getting ingrained in them and they'll kind of bring it with them throughout life without even realizing it.

- Believe in yourself.

That's a big one, what else?

- You also have to be decisive in the decisions that you make when you're with other kids.

Do y'all understand that?

- Yeah.

- Because a lot of times that can be the difference in getting in trouble, and not getting in trouble, making good decisions versus making bad decisions.

I think it's very important to teach these kids that we're working with today, some of those qualities and some of those life skills that will ultimately go a very long way for them.

- I love to see positive impact like that.

Is Bank of America looking to expand the program?

- They are, and this whole thing is just really weird.

You just wouldn't think of banks with sports, but it's just a, it is an interesting concept, yeah.

In November, BOA announced a multi-year partnership with British soccer star David Beckham.

He will be serving as the ambassador for the Sports With Us program, helping with partnerships and branding and various events to help us celebrate achievement and support communities.

So interesting, they're partnering with David Beckham, they're doing these sorts of things, not only here in Charlotte but in other cities.

You just wouldn't think the banks and BOA with sports, but it's a unique combination.

- I mean, it's a big deal to get David Beckham.

- Absolutely.

Yeah.

- I mean that's huge.

I always learn something new when you come to visit.

Thanks Jason.

- We try.

- We all have unique talents and cultures and hobbies, especially here in our region.

Carolina Impact's Dara Khaalid and videographer Russ Hunsinger introduce us to a couple whose special art collection pays homage to their Puerto Rican heritage.

(machine whirring) (upbeat music) (birds chirping) (waves crashing) (camera clicking) - [Dara] We've all got hobbies, right?

The activities we like to do in our spare time simply because they make us happy.

Well, what about a hobby that's led to a collection of over 600 items?

(upbeat music) - This is one piece we acquire in the last three months.

- [Dara] For more than 50 years, Francisco Toste Santana and his wife Nitza Mediavilla Piñero, have been collecting hand carved Puerto Rican Santos de Palo, the traditional Catholic wooden saints that embody centuries of faith, artistry and culture.

- It is the faith that people had that the Santo will help them when they were in remote areas without communication and nobody around to help them.

They pray to their Santos.

- [Dara] According to art historian and curator, Dr.

Dorie Reents-Budet, this practice of crafting Catholic images started in the 16th century by Puerto Rico's first Spanish immigrants.

When Franciscan Friars arrived on the island in the 1500s to convert indigenous Taino people to the Catholic faith, they couldn't find many images of their saints.

So the friars looked to Taino artisans and immigrants without training to create the wooden figurines.

(bright music) Those colorful sacred pieces adorn Francisco and Nitza's home, from shelves on the wall to glass front cases you'll find various Santos, some that depict the three kings riding on horseback, notable virgins, like the Virgin of Montserrat, and Santa Barbara.

This is one of the couple's newest pieces created by the late Francisco Rivera, which Francisco holds proudly as he tells us more about it.

- Over here are his initials, F.R, and also the year 1879, when he made this piece.

- [Dara] So I'm sure you're wondering just like I was, what sparked their love for Santos that led to them having so many?

Well, for the duo that was born and raised in Puerto Rico, it began with an annual wedding anniversary tradition.

- The first year is paper.

You're supposed to give your wife a paper gift.

That was simple.

So the fifth year is wood.

I decided to go to the old city of San Juan where there are a lot of art galleries.

I saw three kings, which are the three Magis, and I decided to buy for her.

I took it to her and she was very pleased with it.

- [Dara] That got the ball rolling for years to come, not just with anniversary gifts, but inspiring Nitza to begin creating Santos herself.

- Since the first day, I got hook and I really like it.

- [Dara] You can see one of Nitza Santos, the Lonely Soul of Purgatory, up close at the Mint Museum Randolph.

It conveys a powerful belief in their religion.

- If you die with some sins, first you go to purgatory, then after a lot of prayers and whatever, you go to heaven.

- [Dara] Nitza's Santo isn't the only one you can see at the museum.

In fact, you can see nearly 200 items from their personal collection.

The exhibit "Art of Devotion, the Santos de Palo tradition of Puerto Rico" is made exclusively with their pieces.

- A museum is supposed to be a place where people come in and realize that every object has a story and a significance, and was made by someone.

I hope that everyone takes a moment to pause, and think about the origin story of these objects.

- Magnifica.

- [Dara] As Francisco and Nitza gaze upon their beloved Santos from their birthplace, their hearts are full seeing them on display in Charlotte, where they've called home for more than five years.

- The presentation is gorgeous, and to see our Santos in this place has been very important to us.

So that many more people know about this tradition, which is part of our country.

- [Dara] Just how the Santos eloquently capture Puerto Rican culture, so do moments like this, where the couple enjoys drinking chilled glasses of coquito with their daughter.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

- It's a very traditional that people will make a recipe at home and take it to their neighbors, or friends during the Christmas time.

- [Dara] From the simple joy of family moments, to the rich heritage of their Santos de Paolo collection, Francisco and Nitza continue to preserve the spirit of the art of their faith and share its vibrant legacy.

For Carolina Impact, I'm Dara Khaalid.

- Thank you, Dara.

The couples love for Santos go beyond collecting.

They've written a combined seven books about them.

Well, we've got a sweet treat to wrap things up this evening in a city known for its craft breweries and culinary creativity.

Few people realize the queen city is also home to some passionate chocolatiers.

Eccentric, devoted, and absolutely serious about their craft.

Carolina Impact's Chris Clark introduces us to two who are reshaping what chocolate means.

They'll teach us that great chocolate isn't made in a factory, it's made with obsession.

♪ Come with me ♪ - [Chris] Willy Wonka made chocolate feel like fantasy.

♪ In a world of pure imagination ♪ - [Chris] But for these two, chocolate began as a memory, the kind they grew up with in Europe, richer, deeper, unforgettable.

- I grew up eating that chocolate, and at the age of 12 we immigrated to the US.

I went looking for my chocolate and I couldn't find it.

- [Chris] One chases it back to the bean, the other reshapes it through art and reinvention, different paths toward the same taste.

- I always loved that chocolate that, you know, like really melted in your, like in your mouth.

I was wanting to recreate the chocolates that I had as a kid.

- [Chris] At her shop, The Underground Truffle, Esa Weinreb makes chocolates her clients love.

Her path to the sweet life was less than straight.

Her father was a chef and she did go to college, but not for culinary arts, it was for.

- Mechanical engineering.

- Wait, what?

Of all the things.

Not exactly the magic ingredient.

- I know.

It was like, why?

- [Chris] Fair question.

Can't wait for this answer.

- They talked me into, they're like, we need women in engineering.

- [Chris] So she did the practical thing, earned a degree and built a solid career in interior design.

But one problem never went away.

- When I would go visit my cousins, I would always bring back chocolate that I purchased there in Europe, 'cause we still couldn't find any good chocolate here.

- [Chris] It started with suitcases, chocolate smuggled home for friends, then truffles made locally led to a supplier in South America shipping in bulk and inside one shipment, something unexpected.

- They sent me a VHS tape of their process.

I put that tape in there and I watched this.

It was like 30 minutes long and I'm like, oh my god, beans, they grow on a tree and they come from a pod and then they do this and they ferment them and roast them and like I had no clue.

- [Chris] Looking to make her product more authentic, she took a trip to Costa Rica with friends.

There, at a place called Coco Ethica, she didn't just tour a farm, she had an education.

- They had this big outdoor fire that they roast the beans on.

After they roasted them, they had like a, they put it in a bag, and I think they had like a rolling pin or a big stick and they cracked it all up.

- [Chris] She brought those lessons back to Charlotte, not just to improve the flavor, but to understand chocolate from the inside out.

- When you put the nibs inside of the drum and you turn on the machine, you don't add heat.

It's just the friction of those wheels turning and rubbing on the bottom plate of that stone plate that creates friction.

So it starts to melt.

- [Chris] It's part science, part patience, something Esa is eager to share, teaching classes on not just how chocolate is made, but where it comes from.

- How it sort of became sophisticated over time, but it started in such a simplistic way, and the types of tools that were used in ancient cultures to create the chocolate from scratch.

- She walked us through the whole process, from meeting farmers in Puerto Rico all the way through to her hand, you know, roasting and hand shucking chocolate.

It gave me a new appreciation.

- The actual fruit pod to like, rutting that ferment and roast and grind.

And she like makes the chocolate from start to finish and like that's a local thing, which I would never have guessed that would be happening in Charlotte.

- [Chris] Esa chases chocolate back to the source, the bean, the grind, the science.

But for another chocolatier in Charlotte, the obsession isn't where chocolate comes from, it's how it's supposed to feel when it melts, a taste he remembers from growing up in Europe.

- I make chocolates that I like.

If I don't like 'em, you won't see 'em in my box.

Period.

- [Chris] That stubborn streak.

It's not new.

Marvin's whole career has been built on detail and reinvention.

- I started out as a DJ after school, just you know, as a side gig.

I loved doing that.

Then I went to trade school, become a hair and makeup artist back in Germany.

I worked in a few salons in Germany, and then I got an offer from an agency, (indistinct) agency in LA.

- [Chris] From Germany to Los Angeles, he built a career working with top talent, top stylists and no room for mistakes.

It was long days, high standards, and some of the best in the business trusting him with their image.

For Marvin creativity kept changing form from hair and makeup to designing clothes, to making jewelry.

- I always loved to be crafty, creative.

I switched more into like adding sterling silver to it.

So before it was all like leather cuffs and that kind of stuff.

So then I went into the jewelry stuff, and since I've known a lot of stylists, I would give them jewelry to use on set.

- [Chris] After a stint as a chef, and time spent counseling others, life stepped in with a hard reset.

The recession hit, jobs disappeared, and Marvin took the work that was available.

- 2008 happened, so all the money crashed, everything gone, right.

I had to find some kind of job.

The only thing that was like available was a clerk position in a, it was called confectionary.

- [Chris] It wasn't the plan, but it put him back where he had started, surrounded by sweets and possibility.

- I went to the owner and I'm like, asked, can I maybe do some truffles and see how they go?

And he's like, yeah, try it out.

- [Chris] One batch turned into another, customers came back and before long, chocolate stopped being an experiment and became the thing that followed him all the way to Charlotte.

After years on the road, Marvin wasn't just looking for a new city, he was looking for a place that felt familiar.

- We came for a visit and I was like, this is really nice here.

It's very much Charlotte, or even North Carolina is very much kind of like Germany.

It, you know, it has like the mountains, it has a lot of forests.

- [Chris] What started as a small experiment didn't stay small for long.

In just a few years, Marvin's chocolates began earning serious recognition, including Charlotte Consumer Choice Awards for best Chocolate Shop in both 2025 and '26.

A best of 2025 nod from business rates, and national recognition from the Worldwide Certified Business Review Board as one of the best businesses of 2025.

Not bad for someone who says he's just making chocolate he likes.

- The responses and the faces of people that warms my heart.

- [Chris] Two chocolatiers, two very different approaches.

One standard, make something you love.

For Carolina Impact, I'm Chris Clark.

- Okay, Chris, you've made me hungry now for my sweet tooth.

Thanks so much.

Whether you crave the bold bite of pure dark cacao, or the smooth sweetness of old school milk chocolate, like me, there are plenty of incredible sweet treats across our region.

Now that I'm hungry, it is time to say goodnight.

Thanks so much for joining us, we always appreciate your time, and I look forward to seeing you back here again next time on Carolina Impact.

Goodnight, my friends.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] A production of PBS Charlotte.