CHARLOTTE - Jerry Richardson, owner and founder of the Carolina Panthers, has matched the $250,000 challenge gift made by Family Dollar Stores Inc. CEO Howard Levine in mid-February.

On Feb. 18, an article ran in a local newspaper announcing Mr. Levine’s personal challenge gift. By mid-morning, the Red Cross received a letter hand-written by Mr. Richardson noting that he and his wife, Rosalind, would like to match Levine’s donation.

“The Red Cross is an organization Rosalind and I both have respected and admired for as long as we can remember,” said Richardson. “We feel this is an incredible opportunity for us to become a small part of this humanitarian tradition. There is no greater service than volunteers who restore health and save lives through human compassion and courage.”

CHARLOTTE – CMS will lease some of the schools that are being closed for the 2011-2012 school year, using a bidding process to select organizations to lease the buildings. The bidding will open March 4 and CMS will hold meetings on March 1 and March 3 to offer information and answer potential bidders’ questions.

“We hope these schools will continue to be used by the community, even though they are no longer housing students,” said Mike Raible, Executive Director of Planning and Project Management for CMS. “The money we expect to receive from the leases may not be substantial – it certainly won’t solve our budget shortfalls. But the leasing process will allow the buildings to continue to be used as a community resource. It’s an appropriate use for former public schools.”

Leaseholders will be responsible for all maintenance and operations of the buildings they lease.

SOUTH CHARLOTTE - Stomp, Chomp & Roll, the Charlotte-based entertainment group, will donate 20% of their sales from the Flying Biscuit, Monkey Joe's, The Pizza Peel, and Mama Fu's weekend sales to Sharon Elementary School.

There's one catch though: Make sure to mention the promotion!

The Flying Biscuit and Monkey Joe's are located in the Park Road Shopping Center.  The Pizza Peel and Mama Fu's are located in Cotswold.