[North Carolina] UNC poverty center gets $2 million pledge

from Myrtle Beach On Line

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A Chapel Hill couple has pledged $2 million to the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina School of Law, the school said Wednesday.

The gift by Michael Cucchiara and Marty Hayes will endow operations and expenses of the center, which is directed by former vice presidential candidate and North Carolina senator John Edwards.

"This wonderful example of generosity and philanthropy will allow the center to continue exploring the many facets of poverty and keep these important issues in the public eye for the decades to come," Edwards, a 1977 UNC Chapel Hill law school graduate, said in a statement.

Cucchiara and Hayes are investors in Greenbridge, a downtown condo and retail development that features solar power, landscaped roofs and other energy efficient features.

"For too long, the issues facing the working poor have not received the attention they deserve," Cucchiara said. "That is why we are proud to join Sen. Edwards, the leadership of UNC and the law school to ensure that there will always be a permanent academic forum for the best minds in the state and the nation to address the issues of poverty, work and opportunity."

The center was established in February 2005 to work on poverty research and policy issues.