On April 26th, 1998 a group of women gathered to discuss the need for an organization to help bridge the gap between ethnic populations and the civic and business communities in Western NC.

The women were focused on building bonds and helping lower-income people of color develop marketable skills. It was the first time anyone had addressed the concerns of the ethnic community in a legitimate and meaningful way.

As a result of the meeting and the think-tank session, a small collection of seemingly invisible black women began to make an impact that echoes still today.

Based on the request that each woman show her commitment with an in-kind donation of $100 to match a potential North Carolina Humanities Council grant to subsidize a Black History Preservation Project called All God’s Children, twelve women responded and One Dozen Who Care was born.

The commitment to the cause was so strong in the launch that a widow who worked six jobs and was the mother of three school-aged children came to the next meeting and laid a $100 bill on the table.

September 30, 1999, One Dozen Who Care, Inc. (ODWC) became a nonprofit corporation and on July 24, 2001 achieved status as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.