Become a donor today, and your support will help nonprofits recruit volunteers, connect community agencies, and increase the capacity of thirty programs supported by Love Out Loud.

Monthly Recurring Gifts to Love Out Loud are what keep us moving forward to continue our mission.

If you have questions or need an invoice for your gift, please reach out to Roonie at rcraig@loveoutloudws.com

Connections are key our work. Whether learning about community volunteer opportunities or connecting people to their passions, we’re known around town as the organization that knows what’s happening in the community service sphere because our whole team is dedicated to relationships. We spend hours each week getting to know individuals, organizations, and their work better. We help them plug into the areas they are passionate about, learn more about the state of our community in both areas they are interested in and those they’ve never thought about, and connect them to others walking the same journey.

Whether it’s over a cup of coffee at Krankies, at a local community event, or on BASE (our volunteer platform) - we love the work of connection that helps us create deeper alignment, partnership, and shared community.

Volunteers: 4,300+ | Organizations: 285+

Citywide Leaders Meetings

One of our favorite meetings at Love Out Loud is our monthly citywide leader meetings - we welcome leaders from local nonprofits, churches, businesses, or community members to join us for a time of learning about recent initiatives and connecting with whomever is present.

Each month is hosted at a different partner organization, with the hope of drawing people out into the community to learn about organizations they might not even know about.

In 2023, 132 leaders from 111 organizations attended our monthly citywide leaders meetings.

Supporting Programs

One of Love Out Loud’s roles is helping support programs and events around the community. We mobilize a number of individuals, groups, and volunteer initiatives to engage in service, as well as support a variety of volunteer-led programs. Here are just a few examples:

Love Out Loud Student Camp: hosting local middle and high school students for a week of service in our community.

Love Out Loud Student Camp had another successful year of students learning about different kinds of service in our community and exploring their passions and skills that can benefit their community.

Students: 80 | Churches: 16 | Worksites: 10

Joy Prom: a full-scale annual prom for individuals with special needs and abilities.

Joy Prom is an opportunity to build unity by celebrating the beauty in all our uniqueness and by showing love and support to some of the most special members of our community.

Guests: 355 | Volunteers: 325

This year, we also welcomed three new programs into the Love Out Loud network of support:

Una Bendición: food pantry and connection point between Spanish-speaking families and the resources in our city.

Shepherd’s Heart Learning Center: a Christian-based and community-based educational organization that operates as a Kingdom school and missionary ministry.

Winston Salem Pickup Association: a welcoming and inclusive soccer community providing free recreation year round

Love Out Loud believes that service is transformative at its core. In addition to calling individuals towards transformation through service, we’ve had the great privilege of being engaged in transformative conversations and calling our community to a deeper commitment towards equity and justice.

Bryan Stevenson visited Wake Forest University through the Face-to-Face Speaker forum in February 2023. Love Out Loud brought together a group of 225 stakeholders from churches, community partners, and those already engaging or ready to engage in local conversations and service opportunities in areas of justice, equity, and race.

From hosting Dr. Laura Gerald, Mrs. Tricia McManus, and Ms. LaTida Smith for our fourth Annual Community Transformation Luncheon to meaningful conversations with churches, nonprofits, and community members following Bryan Stevenson’s talk on equity, we are committed to calling our community to walk in the ways of justice – just like Jesus did.

g r o w t h s e s s i o n s

Engaging with Latinx Communities

Vivian Pérez Chandler discussed our current population data in Forsyth County on Latinx community members, analyzing the needs and challenges through an equity lens. Attendees learned about some of the organizations serving the Latinx community in Forsyth County. Then, through a panel with Latinx community members we'll hear their perspectives on how to better serve the community. 

Partner Organizations: 4

Race, Mass Incarceration & the Church

Equal Justice USA led us through a discussion of the scale of mass incarceration and how churches are called to pursue justice that overflows with restoration. We heard from panelists representing local organizations about how folks can advocate for a more equitable justice system.

Partner Organizations: 4

Dear America…

We gathered with students, educators, and families to discuss themes of education, advocacy, and identity present in the book Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas, designated the Book With Purpose of summer 2023 by Bookmarks. Our panelists were local community members who shared their stories with us.

Partner Organizations: 5

Our Amazing Team

One of the greatest things about Love Out Loud is our staff and volunteers. We’ve been blessed with a staff that serves in meaningful ways and builds relationships in diverse spaces all over the community.

We also hosted some amazing interns this year:

Daniel Lee (WFU School of Divinity) - Christmas for the City {Continued from 2021}

Morgan Brendle (Appalachian State) - Storytelling & Connections

Elmer Amaya (WFU School of Divinity) - Latinx Engagement