Messages From the Chair

Words from the Chair on NOC’s 10th Anniversary

September 14, 2019 By NOC

This is indeed a special day for us as we celebrate NOC’s 10-year anniversary.

There is much to be proud of because we are making a difference in the lives of many children and families. We are creating opportunities for people in need to get ahead in life and to enjoy happiness and a better quality of life. We are able to do this because of NOC’s unique development approach and business model. NOC maintains a strong presence in the neighborhoods it serves and connects with people by building trusts and relationships with people who live there.

NOC brings capital, targeted services, technology, and other service providers into an underserved neighborhood. NOC’s core programs of education, health care, and workforce and community development are the key drivers in promoting change and development in the neighborhood. Ten years ago, we started with 5 children as a grassroots organization with a shoestring budget; today we serve more than 650 children through NOC’s 6 learning centers covering all of Beaufort County. Nearly 200 people benefit from NOC’s heath screening program annually, and many people benefit from NOC’s workforce development, community events, and enrichment programs. These results are achieved with a budget of less than $500,000 annually and focusing on an efficient delivery of services to the target population.

All this has been made possible through the generous donations of many individuals, foundations, and governmental agencies, plus the support that we have received from local churches, civic organizations, businesses, and other service providers.

Today, we are poised to expand NOC’s programs in Beaufort County and replicate the NOC model outside Beaufort County, statewide and nationally. We have trademarked NOC’s business model and logo, and we have developed blueprints to replicate the model. We want NOC to flourish beyond Beaufort Coounty as a grassroots organization in low-income neighborhoods managed and funded by local people and entities without central control and high overhead costs.

This past 10 years has been a long journey … tough but rewarding and gratifying. I have worked extremely hard but received helped from many individuals and good Samaritans. From this standpoint, I have been lucky and blessed.

In another 10 years, I will be 85 years old … a reality that I cannot control. In the next 10 years, I hope that NOC will help more children and families in need … that NOC’s brand and outreach will continue to flourish in other areas throughout the country. In keeping with my succession plan, I plan to step down from my current position in 2021, and pass the baton to others to lead the organization to the next frontier. Given a shared passion to help others, I am sure we can promote NOC in other areas beyond Beaufort County. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those who are in need to get ahead in life.

Thank you.

Narendra P. Sharma, PhD, Founder & Chair

Neighborhood Outreach Connection, NOC

September 13, 2019

Colleton River Plantation Club, Bluffton, SC

NOC Can Help in Jasper County!

August 2, 2019 By NOC

On July 25, 2019, Dr. Narendra Sharma, Founder & Chair of the Neighborhood Outreach Connection (NOC), spoke to the Town Council of Hardeeville, Jasper, County; SC. Dr. Sharma talked about NOC’s approach to community development with its strong presence in an underserved neighborhood where poverty is widespread. He added that the NOC model has a strong track record in generating results at lower cost. More importantly, he said that the NOC model is a cost effective way to promote community development in undeserved neighborhoods. He concluded that NOC can replicate its model in Jasper County where an NOC Learning Center would be managed, operated, and funded by local people with know-how, blue prints, and technical support from NOC’s central offices until such time as the program is self-sustaining with local support and resources.

View Dr. Sharma’s presentation here: Jasper County Town Council presentation, July 25, 2019

NOC Calls for Reduction in Achievement Gap

April 19, 2019 By NOC

Neighborhood Outreach Connection (NOC) calls for a Reduction in the Student Achievement Gap in the Beaufort County School District

NOC Founder and Chair, Dr. Narendra Sharma, addressed the Beaufort County Board of Education on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 Also attending the meeting were NOC Executive Director, Cynthia Jackson-Jenkins, NOC Field Director, Corbin Stripling, and NOC Director of Development and Marketing, Daniel McKeown. Dr. Sharma emphasized NOC’s business model and how NOC is addressing the needs of Beaufort County children and families through education, health, and workforce development programs. He enumerated NOC’s accomplishments over the past 10 years and stated NOC’s goals and priorities over the next 10 years. Dr. Sharma’s presentation highlighted the following:

NOC successfully serves 650 high-risk students in six Neighborhood Learning Centers by going directly into underserved neighborhoods
NOC invests in BCSD teachers and works with them to provide tutoring and homework assistance in each Neighborhood Learning Center.
NOC brings technology and BCSD’s curriculum into the neighborhood in a cost-effective way.
NOC plans to strategically expand and open 4 new learning centers in Beaufort County, targeting 1,000 students
BCSD can be an active partner in NOC’s expansion, including recognition of teachers working in NOC’s programs.

Dr. Sharma concluded that we must address the achievement gap issue with a sense of urgency since 35% to 45% of minority students (African American and Hispanic) are not at grade level in either reading, math, or language arts.

View Dr. Sharma’s presentation: bcsd prestation, april 2019, final

NOC Celebrates MLK Day

January 23, 2019 By NOC

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

On January 21, NOC celebrated the life of Dr Martin Luther King, reflecting on his legacy. It was a great honor and privilege for members of the NOC family to participate in Hilton Head Island’s MLK march. We respect and admire a great leader and champion of human rights, freedom, and social justice. Dr. King understood the power of love, compassion, and tolerance to create a just and fair society. He saw poverty and lack of opportunity as negative forces undermining human dignity, independence, and self-reliance.

Dr. King’s work is not complete yet. We must tackle the economic and social challenges that we continue to face today … to achieve the ‘Dream’ that Dr. King spoke about more than five decades ago. Many people still live in poverty and lack opportunities to get ahead in life. The gulf between the haves and have-nots is widening locally and worldwide. There are conflicts and suffering in every corner of the world, including in own country, the United States.

NOC’s vision, mission, and outreach programs are in line with Dr. King’s teachings and actions, as we help those in need and those who are vulnerable. We continue this work, inspired by Dr. King and other great leaders throughout the world.

Naren Sharma, Founder & Chair, NOC

NOC Chairman Interviewed on WHHI

October 2, 2018 By NOC

Dr. Narendra Sharma, NOC founder and chair, was interviewed during the WHHI evening news program on September 17, 2018. In addition to discussing NOC’s progress, Dr. Sharma also commented on some of the key challenges facing Hilton Head as the town approaches upcoming elections.

Click on the link below to see the interview in its entirety:

HILTON HEAD NEWS | Dr. Narendra Sharma: HHI Challenges & Burning Issues | WHHITV