About Us
PEACH proudly serves their community of neighbors and friends in North Carolina. We’ve been dedicated to our initiative since 1998. Together, we can improve the quality of life for future generations and protect children from lead poisoning. Children are depending on us to collectively advocate for safe and healthy renovation, repair, and paint activities in pre-1978 housing.
What is PEACH Durham
PEACH is a community-based lead-based paint and healthy homes environmental agency. The mission of PEACH is to improve community health and economics by creating a sustainable workforce to reduce environmental hazards. PEACH’s vision is that every child will grow up in an environmentally safe home where the household income is above the poverty level.
The initial concept for PEACH was created by NC Central University (NCCU) researchers and Northeast Central Durham (NECD) community leaders. The goal of the project was to explore the lingering effects of lead-based paint in older housing in NECD.
The City of Durham received several HUD-funded Lead-based paint grant dollars between 2000-2014. The grant activities failed to increase the number of Durham residents in the NECD community skilled in identifying and reducing lead-based paint hazards. Lenora Smith, one of the NECD community leaders and subsequently, PEACH Director, perceived the lead-based paint industry as a viable avenue to assist unemployed, underemployed, justice-involved, and other marginalized residents in getting specialized training to detect and to reduce lead-based paint hazards in housing built before 1978. Read a detailed history of PEACH.
PEACH is governed by a Board of Directors and is dedicated to helping marginalized residents to become employed in lead-based paint disciplines and to ultimately increase the number of environmental businesses owned by people of color.
PEACH has assisted community residents in becoming State certified in lead abatement disciplines, including:
- Lead Worker
- Lead inspector
- Lead risk assessor
- Lead supervisor
- Lead Renovator
- RRP Principal Instructor
- RRP Training Manager
Additionally, PEACH has worked with local contractors to remediate lead-based paint hazards in single-family residential homes; and is a State certified Lead Firm and a State Authorized Training Provider for the Lead Renovator training course.
PEACH Mission Statement
To improve community health and economics by creating a sustainable workforce to reduce environmental hazards in the community.
Meet Our Team
Our team of professionals cares about our collective future. We want our family of friends to know we’re working on ensuring their environmental future and securing a safe home for them to thrive in.
Lawrence Little
Assistant to the Director | Community Health Worker
Lawrence served as a PEACH AmeriCorps member in 2006-2007. He coordinated and managed community outreach programs that included such projects as helping a resident to implement a low-cost soil remediation strategy to cover bare soil outside her rear entry doorway; and coordinating a poster contest for summer campers who learned about the dangers of lead poisoning. Campers were encouraged to illustrate what they learned about lead for a chance to win a new bike. As an AmeriCorps member, Lawrence also worked with Operation Breakthrough (OBT), a PEACH partner, and the Durham County non-profit agency that managed the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEP). Lawrence was hired full-time by OBT in 2007 as the community coordinator for the weatherization program. He was promoted to Accounting Technician in late 2007 and worked with OBT for 7 years. Lawrence served on the PEACH Board of Directors for more than ten years before working as a community health worker. When he isn’t working, he enjoys singing in three choirs at his church, First Cavalry Baptist Church in Durham.
Annette Rogers
PEACH Lead Instructor | Office Administrator | Certified Community Health Worker
Annette joined PEACH in August 2020 as a Community Health Worker and has continued her work in that area as well as helping manage existing and oncoming CHWś. She is also now helping with Office Administration in efforts to better facilitate the team and funded projects that are in place.
Annette holds a Bachelor of Science from UNC Chapel Hill and Masters in Physical Therapy from East Carolina University. She has just returned to live in the US after spending 20 years out of the US, mostly in Latin America, where she became fluent in Spanish. Annette continues to use her Spanish skills in her community health work by helping the Latinx community in Durham and surrounding counties.
Waldo Rogers
Peach Lead Instructor | Project Manager | Certified Community Health Worker
Waldo Rogers serves as a Peach Lead Instructor and Certified Community Health Worker for Peach Durham.
Waldo works with a small but dedicated team committed to improving the quality of life for underserved communities. He recruits and works with individuals to train them to become Certified Lead Renovators, which is a skill needed and will contribute to the workforce of the future. He is an advocate for health, Justice, and equally for underserved communities. Through his Community Health Worker role, he provides a pathway to needed assistance and services to all that have been affected by the Pandemic.
He is also the Founder of DRIVE Academy. Teaching and mentoring youth with much-needed skills of Discipline, Respect, Integrity, Values, and Excellence through Athletics.
Waldo understands the historical and systemic barriers to youth success; therefore, he is committed to empowering them to create a more equitable quality of life that enables them to succeed.
Waldo also works for Durham Public Schools as a Restorative Practice Coordinator, Athletic Director, Football Coach, and Athletic First Responder.
Waldo holds a Bachelor’s Degree from North Carolina in Behavior Science. He is also an Associate Pastor, Superintendent of Sunday School at Victorious Life Fellowship Church, and a Board member of the ICOPM.
D'Mario Smith
Community Outreach Coordinator | Certified Community Health Worker
A Durham native who supports the community through PEACH Durham as a Community Healthcare representative, helping people connect to relief and information about navigating the hazards of lead in the environment.
Lenora S. Smith
Executive Director
Lenora S. Smith serves as the Executive Director of the Partnership Effort for the Advancement of Children’s Health (PEACH). Smith was a Northeast Central Durham (NECD) resident when North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Departments of Public Health and Environmental Science partnered with the NECD community to implement PEACH, a research project to explore the lingering effects of lead in older housing in the community. Smith was hired as the secretary of the initiative. In 2007, Smith partnered with NCCU Public Health Department and incorporated the initiative as a 501 C (3) charitable organization. Under Smith’s leadership, PEACH remains state certified in lead abatement and in lead Renovation, Repair, and Paint (RRP) disciplines.
Partnership Effort for the Advancement of Children's Health (PEACH)
Donations to PEACH will be used to recruit and train marginalized community residents in various areas of lead-based paint and healthy homes environmental disciplines. We appreciate your support!
Please make any checks payable to PEACH and mail them to 800 N. Mangum St., Suite 105, Durham, NC 27701.
Volunteer
PEACH offers volunteer opportunities that include internships and experiential education opportunities. Please complete our volunteer form. Anyone interested in volunteer opportunities with PEACH can also apply through the Durham Volunteer Center, NC Central University ACSLP, or Duke University Community Engagement.