ASHEVILLE – With so much at stake in this year's election, area nonprofits are stepping up their efforts to get out the vote in innovative ways.

Children First / Communities In Schools printed 40,000 copies of its 2014 Buncombe County Voter Guide, the most it has printed to date.

"Five or six years ago, we were just printing them off the printer in our office," said Allison Jordan, executive director of the nonprofit which focuses on empowering children and their families.

​Read more here. 

WAYNESVILLE – Just in case there isn't enough cuteness in your life, Sarge's Animal Rescue Foundation just put the "Parkway Puppies" up for adoption. "They are eating like pigs, picking on each other, acting like puppies," said Debbie Slater, operations manager at the shelter. 

"They're getting a little spoiled though," she added.

The abandoned dogs made local fame last month after they were rescued near the Blue Ridge Parkway.

​Read more here. 

ASHEVILLE Things that happen in Asheville are not limited to Asheville anymore, Elizabeth Colton, distinguished journalist and former diplomat, said at the country club on Wednesday. 

Especially with the advent of social media, "you never know where a story is going to go," said the Asheville native, who has worked in more than 100 countries as an Emmy Award wining journalist for ABC News and a former employee of the United Nations and the U.S. State Department.

​"It could go on and have an impact with followers around the world," Colton said in her speech, "Beyond the Headlines: Deciphering the News of Global Politics & Diplomacy."

​Read more here. 

ASHEVILLE – Lance Edwards, community investment director at the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, was elected to the statewide board of directors for the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits.
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“I think it’s great,” said Edwards, of West Asheville, whose primary role at United Way is to oversee the annual competitive grant-making process and serve as the institution’s liaison to its community partners. ​“I work with so many nonprofits locally, it will be nice to be able to share best practices. Serving on the board will help me keep my finger on the pulse of statewide trends.”

​Read more here.